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Expert: Presidential elections in Russia not important factor in Nagorno-Karabakh problem

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 11 July 2011 17:18 (UTC +04:00)
The results of the presidential elections in Russia in 2012 will not be an important factor in Moscow's efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian political analyst Mikhail Remizov said.
Expert: Presidential elections in Russia not important factor in Nagorno-Karabakh problem

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 11 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /

The results of the presidential elections in Russia in 2012 will not be an important factor in Moscow's efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian political analyst Mikhail Remizov said.

"I would not overestimate Moscow's possibilities to influence the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as the main problem is the lack of even an exemplary model of settlement," he told Trend.

"Additional incentives of mediators would make sense only if this model was on the negotiating table. But it does not exist because the positions of the parties are mutually exclusive while clarifying the circumstances."

He added that, in this respect, mediation can not be very effective, except in terms of preventing the escalation of military conflict, but not in the sense of reaching the agreement on legal resolving the territorial dispute.

"I do not see any perspectives of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the nearest future," the expert said.

However, Moscow would continue making efforts to reconcile the two friendly countries - Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"It does not depend on domestic political circumstances in Russia, including the upcoming presidential elections," he said.

Russia is not interested in the two countries being at war. Thus, this is a big problem for Russia in many ways, he said.

President Medvedev has prepared a message to Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, following discussions held in Kazan. The message includes proposals on the visions of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, recently discussed at a meeting of the three presidents with representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev, and Serzh Sargsyan discussed the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in Kazan. The ninth meeting ended without reaching agreements on the basic principles of the settlement.
The sides noted the progress towards this goal in a joint statement.

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 seven 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 continuing peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

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