Azerbaijan, Baku, July 15 / Trend , E.Tariverdiyeva/
Azerbaijani political scientists believe the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will not discuss resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at a meeting to be held in Moscow on July 17.
"We should not delude ourselves that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs countries adopted a statement on the Karabakh at the G-8 summit," Azerbaijani Political Scientist Fikrat Sadikhov said. "The agenda includes de-occupation of regions surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh, but not the settlement of the conflict."
The presidents of both United States and Russia are interested in a phased settlement of the conflict and the two presidents want to maintain their peacekeeper images, the political scientist said at a round table on the "Settlement of the Karabakh conflict: light at the end of tunnel" on July 15.
The G-8 Summit in the Italian city L'Aquila city adopted a joint statement by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on July 10.
"We, the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group, confirm our commitment to the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and encourage them to resolve some remaining differences and conclude a peaceful settlement," the statement said.
The presidents of Russia, the United States and France believe the agreement between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership should be achieved on the basis of the principles of the Madrid Agreement of 2007.
"We most likely are on the eve of concluding a" framework agreement" between the parties, which could result in a protocol of intentions," said the political analyst.
Another Azerbaijani Political Scientist, Rasim Agayev said the first phase of the negotiations will focus on the return of the Azerbaijani territories and the issue on status will be postponed indefinitely.
"The issue of the return of the Azerbaijani territories should be treated pragmatically, as it is beneficial for the official Baku," said Agayev. This is a rare case when the world's forces are ready to resolve the issue based on international standards, he said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
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