Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 14
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
Attracting Turkey as a mediator in resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can contribute to its settlement, says Nikita Isaev, director of the Russian Institute of Contemporary Economics.
“Inclusion of new active and effective intermediaries in the regulatory process of a conflict, which is of historical and protracted nature, always has a positive effect,” Isaev, who also chairs the presidium of the Russian Rodina party’s political council, told Trend Oct. 14
He noted that Turkey may become sufficiently independent mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s settlement.
The expert said that currently the general political and economic approaches are being formed in the South Caucasus with Russia's mediation.
“In particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently met with Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the expert said. “The meeting will be held between President Putin and Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan as part of the CSTO meeting in Yerevan today.”
"Joint efforts on the conflict settlement can bring results today," he said.
He said that the recent cooling of the US-Turkey relations gives a possibility for the diplomacy of the South Caucasian countries.
"It will be much easier to agree without the US destructive position,” he said. “So, I think that Turkey’s participation as a mediator in the settlement of this conflict should be welcomed."
“The further evaluation of Turkey as a mediator will depend on the specific suggestions and actions which will be announced by the Turkish side,” Isaev said.
Turkey can play a positive role in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Yerevan earlier.
Lavrov said that Turkey can play a positive role by ensuring normal economic cooperation in the region.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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