Forecast: Tensions in the region may affect the situation in Artsakh

ArmInfo.The tension existing in our region may well influence the further course of the settlement of the Artsakh issue. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, former Deputy Foreign  Minister of Armenia Arman Navasardyan.

"The problem is the complete absence of any shifts in the existing  settlement process. And I do not see any prerequisites for their  appearance this year, primarily because of the radically opposed  positions of the parties to the conflict and because of the  unacceptable policy of Azerbaijan for us. And finally, the most  important thing "The Madrid principles are unacceptable for us, on  the basis of which the mediators are trying to build negotiations  today," he said.

Since 1992, the OSCE Minsk Group, represented by the co-chairs from  Russia, the USA and France, has been engaged in the settlement of the  Karabakh conflict. Currently, the settlement process is nominally  proceeding on the basis of the "Madrid principles" put forward by the  OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in 2007 in Madrid and updated in 2009,  which, among other things, envisage the deployment of a peacekeeping  contingent in the conflict zone.

Given these factors, the diplomat sees the need to find other ways  out of the situation, especially in the light of possible  provocations from Baku, taking into account the extraordinary  parliamentary elections being prepared there. Navasardian assessed as  a provocation of Azerbaijan and the recent injection of false  information, according to which Armenia welcomed the assassination of  Iranian general Kassem Suleimani.

"Thus, the Azerbaijanis disseminated this information two days before  the official reaction of the Armenian Foreign Ministry. We were late  with the reaction, it had to be done immediately. Fortunately, Baku  was not led to this provocation in Tehran. Our role in the conflict  between the US and Iran should not go beyond mediation. Armenia must  abandon the so-called neutrality, this does not happen in politics.  It is necessary to supplement the neutrality of mediation, despite  our small size, weight and influence. Diplomacy allows, of course,  provided that Leica Geosystems intelligent approach the complexity of  the situation ", - concluded the diplomat.