Mayis Mayilyan, the former NKR Deputy Foreign Minister, President of the Public Council of NKR Foreign policy and Security issues, is Aravot’s interlocutor.
– Recently, a Serzh Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting was held in Vienna after a long interval. It is know that the near future co-chairs will be organizing working meetings with Foreign Ministers on December 5-6 in Kiev, as well as they are planning to visit the region until the end of the year. Mr. Mayilyan, can we say that the process of NK negotiation, eventually, has moved forward from the standing point, or the break cannot be stretched any longer?
– After the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2012, in Sochi, the process of Karabakh settlement was moved to a passive phase. This situation was due to the fact that the years dated 2012 and 2013 were election years for mediating states, as well as for Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
This week, after nearly two years later, the meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan took place. The summary statement of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs states that, “The presidents agreed to speed up further negotiations that are aimed at obtaining a peaceful settlement, and instructed their foreign ministers, along with co-chairs, to keep going with the work based on already accomplished to activate the peace process. They agreed to meet again in the coming months.”
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Thus, it can be expected that after solving the internal political problems, mediating states and conflicting parties will be actively involved in NK settlement.
The societies of conflict sides may also display certain activeness. Newly appointed US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick spoke in favor of importance of initiating confidence-and security-building measures. He stressed that it is possible to restore efforts in all directions of “Track II” projects.
– It is no secret that official Baku is introducing new requirements in various stages of the negotiation. Do you consider it possible that after two-year break the authorities of Azerbaijan may come with with new requirements?
– The development of such cases can not be ruled out, because after after presidential elections in Azerbaijan, the entities responsible for the country’s foreign policy have maintained their positions.
– Mr. Mayilyan, recently, the commander of Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri, Colonel Andrei Ruzinsky, stated that if Azerbaijan commences military actions against Nagorno-Karabakh, Gyumri military base may be involved in armed conflict. How is Russian commander’s statement viewed in Karabakh? Do they also think that RF is Karabakh’s security guarantor?
– The recent statement of Russia’s 102nd military base in RF’s Southern Military District, Colonel Andrei Ruzinsky that in case of pretension by the leadership of Azerbaijan towards Nagorno-Karabakh through militaristic form, the military base may be involved in military conflict in the framework of Russia’s commitments under CSTO, I consider it “non-standard”.
It is too early to talk about the policy change by Russia and CSTO in terms of Nagorno-Karabakh security, unless the words of the Con. are asserted by higher authorities of Russia.
As for the security of Artsakh, the only country that provides the security and independence to NKR is the Republic of Armenia.
– Senior Assistant to the Secretary-General of CSTO, Major-General Vladimir Nikishin, in the interview with “Liberty” RFE/RL, expressed an opinion that CSTO can not come into collision with any post-Soviet country. “As for our work, so to say, on the one hand, Armenia is our ally, but, on the other hand, it is our partner. We can not de facto, even de jure enter into conflict with the former Soviet republics. Moreover, if we enter into relations with the states like this, through the sale of weapon, we may have some impact on their policy,” said he. Mr. Mayilyan, in your opinion, can Russia’s policy in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict be changed, or the status quo will continue to maintain?
– Major General Nikishin’s words confirm that Russia’s policy in recent years has undergone changes. The Kremlin would not like to appear in an uncomfortable situation, as a result it would have to make a choice between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Emma Gabrielyan
