Return of Karabakh regions would mark Armenia’s defeat – debate

The Russian-Azerbaijani-Iranian presidential talks in Baku are sure to have their impact also on Armenia, politicians said today, sharing their forecast of the meeting.

Addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent interview to Azerbaijan’s AZERTAC news agency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Arman Navasardyan noted that the Russian leader hinted posssible mutual concessions.

“Putin seems to be referring back to the Helsinki Final Act, which yielded practically no result over 25 years. The problem is in a kind of deadlock; people with common sense are now arriving at the conclusion that territories’ handover is out of the question. That implies being on the brink of extermination,” he noted.

 

The diplomat also expressed his concerns over Nagorno-Karabakh’s non-participation in the talks, which he said is a serious omission.

 

Aram Sargsyan, the Democratic Party’s leader also attending the news conference, said he is somewhat surprised by Nagorno-Karabakh’s conduct. “Their intervention is necessary at the moment. If the issue is not considered in the legal domain, where our positions are incomparably stronger, we would suffer a real defeat in the legal domain.  It is time for [Nagorno-Karabakh President] Bako Sahakyan and the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament to finally speak up,” he added.