Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.21
By Jamila Jafarova - Trend:
The lack of involvement by the US, the EU in the process of settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has made Russia the entity that is projecting most influence over this issue, Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington D.C. told Trend.
"Given Russian bias in favor of Armenia and its own geopolitical aspirations, the peace talks are sacrificed as that serves Moscow's present interests," he said.
Vatanka said the OSCE has failed to deliver on the most basic question it faces in the South Caucasus, namely enabling for peace talks to progress in a meaningful way that makes negotiations worthwhile.
He added that it is not about having the right format, but all states, including the US and the EU, to have the resolve to engage in a meaningful way.
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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