Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

While the officials of some countries refer to the Azerbaijani-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh as a frozen conflict, others argue that it is wrong to consider the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as frozen.

German political scientist and expert on the post-Soviet area Heiko Langner has said that the conflict cannot be considered frozen, as many people think.

In his interview with Vestnik Kavkaza news agency, Langner said people are being killed on the frontline and clashes are taking place and it is therefore wrong to consider this conflict frozen in this context.

"On the other hand, I don't see any opportunities for the settlement of the conflict in the near future. If we look at the OSCE Minsk Group which is responsible for talks on the settlement of the conflict, we will see that the only mediator which has real power in the South Caucasus is Russia," Langner said.

He said neither France nor the U.S. can compete with Russia. "And only under the mediation of Russia can the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan be settled. The key to the Karabakh conflict lies in Moscow," he said.

He said that only cooperation between Yerevan, Baku, and Moscow can lead to resolving the situation.

Langner also said that Armenia can continue its policy of illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories, but it pays a high price-economic underdevelopment, massive poverty, poor social conditions for its population, massive migration, and serious demographic problems.

"International diplomacy should try to move Armenia away from its isolated position in the region; but it requires that Armenia change its current foreign policy and be ready to move forward in the process of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said.

According to Langner, Yerevan should refuse maximalist demands to reach a compromise with Azerbaijan.

He said that then Azerbaijan and Turkey will stop the economic isolation, and Armenia would benefit from it.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Turkey broke off diplomatic relation and closed borders with Armenia because of the country's aggressive policy.

Armenia continues the occupation of Azerbaijani territories in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks brokered by mediators from Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.