Azerbaijan-Armenia at next stage of negotiation in Brussels: poor result may bring war as last option
Rena Murshud
Read more"If the negotiations do not bring results, then Azerbaijan will have to resort to other means. An alternative way of these negotiations is a military conflict, war."
This was told by doctor of Philosophy in Political Science, Metin Mammadli in an interview with Azernews while commenting on the upcoming meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.
According to Mammadli, currently a new stage of negotiation between Azerbaijan and Armenia begins through the mediation of the President of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel.
It is of note that so far several meetings have taken place between the two countries. However, the Armenian side has refused to participate in the meeting, which was to be held in December. Later, the Azerbaijani side agreed to participate at a meeting scheduled for May at the initiative of Charles Michel in Brussels.
Speaking about the importance of this meeting, the pundit said the previous one in Washington has not been so successful, despite the US side expressed satisfaction.
"A few days ago, 4-day talks between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia took place in the United States. According to the statements of Azerbaijan and other officials, despite the fact that the negotiations, which took place in a rather tense atmosphere, did not achieve serious results, it was noted that that some progress has been made. I consider it expedient to continue the negotiations at the forthcoming meeting," the political scientist opined.
As regards the diplomacy of Azerbaijan, the expert stressed that although the opposite side in the negotiations often shows an unconstructive and irrational position, Azerbaijan stands for solving problems between the two countries through negotiations. According to him, if the negotiations do not bring results, then Azerbaijan will resort to other means. An alternative way of these negotiations is a military conflict, war.
“Azerbaijan is a peace-loving state and always tries to solve its problems primarily through diplomacy. In other words, this is what Azerbaijani diplomacy consists of," Mammadli said.
The expert also stated that although Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other officials have recently stated that they are ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, they showed a different position in the negotiations.
“Unfortunately, we do not see an adequate position on the part of Armenia. Armenia still insists on the recognition of the full territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. It is possible that certain agreements will be reached in the course of these negotiations. Of course, this in particular depends on the position of Armenia. Azerbaijan's position is based both on the interests of the country and on the norms of international law. If Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including Karabakh, the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries can be realized." he told.
As regards the meeting to be held in Chisinau on June 1, the expert concluded that Azerbaijan has not fully confirmed its participation. If the issues are fully resolved in Brussels, this meeting may not take place at all.
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