Reconciliation with Azerbaijan, Turkey important for Armenia: expert
By Sara Rajabova
The European organizations are calling for speeding up efforts to settle the long-lasting Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Armenians also say that namely the European integration would contribute to the early resolution of the conflict.
Commenting on the issue, Russian analyst and expert on the South Caucasus Dmitri Verhoturov said in an interview with Day.az website that the most important thing for Armenia is to achieve reconciliation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, which is inextricably linked with concessions on the Karabakh issue.
"Generally speaking, it is not so important on which platform - European or Eurasian - it will be done. A courageous Armenian president can do it on his own. Nothing will happen without this," Verhoturov said.
According to the expert, in fact both platforms offer a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.
"It is in the objectives of the EU, as well as Russia, that the OSCE Minsk Group is specifically dedicated to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, the Eurasian platform is somewhat more preferable, in view of the fact that it can give a guarantee to Armenia in the case of concessions on Karabakh for a speedy resolution of all political issues and a rapid economic rise," Verhoturov said.
The delay in the negotiation process over a peaceful settlement of the conflict at the same time creates difficulties for the Armenian people and hinders Armenia's development.
The situation in Armenia is miserable, as people live in poverty and the government faces migration, debt and frequent public protests.
The Armenian government, however, appears to lack an intention to change the situation for the sake of its people by leaving the country sidelined from regional projects because of the invasion policy against Azerbaijan, keeping over 20 percent of its neighbor's territory under occupation, and fueling tension with the other neighboring countries.
For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since the war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its withdrawal from the neighboring country's territories.