According to David Shahnazaryan, “in that way, Azerbaijan pursues an aim of bringing forth another negotiation format in parallel to the OSCE Minsk Group.”
“Taking into consideration the new opportunities, Armenia should take the role of the initiator first and foremost in Karabakh negotiation process, for which serious preconditions are created, inasmuch as new Government is formed in Armenia and new deep circumstances have evolved. It is necessary to act so as the negotiation process is not in Azerbaijan’s filed, so to say, with the agenda and rules dictated by Baku, but in Armenia’s side. However, let me mention that we do not have much time, we should act fast. The international rank of Armenia has increased. These have added a supplementary component created by the new reality to Nagorno-Karabakh issue and Armenia is able and obliged to act as the initiator in the negotiation process,” said the Ambassador to the President of the Republic of Armenia on Special Tasks from 1992 to 1995, David Shahnazaryan.
What does Azerbaijan’s activeness from Nakhijevan side mean? Is the engineering work done from propagation motives or preparations are made for implementing aggressive intentions? To these questions, Mr. Shahnazaryan responded: “Azerbaijan pursues a policy of a gradual increase of tension on Armenia-Nakhijevan border. In that way, Azerbaijan pursues also the aim to bring forth another negotiation format with Turkey’s participation in parallel to the OSCE Minsk Group. I will refrain from giving other details publicly for now. By the way, let me add that in Azerbaijan, within the government, a sharp and uncompromising fight is in the process for the core positions,” noted our interviewee.
EMMA GABRIELYAN
