Radar Armenia's interlocutor is international expert Shahan Gantaharyan.
- I would like to address Baku's official proposal that Armenia also apply to the OSCE for the dissolution of the Minsk Group. Is this beneficial to Armenia?
- Azerbaijan has been pursuing this issue for a long time. Consistently wants to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group. This was the unique format in which the USA, the Russian Federation, and France were combined. After the war in Ukraine, it was difficult to imagine that the USA and the Russian Federation could work together to resolve the conflict in the same format. Finally, the fundamental principles of the Helsinki Act, including the right to self-determination, are related to the OSCE. Azerbaijan is trying to neutralize that perspective in this way. He considers the Artsakh problem to be generally solved and wants the two parties to apply to dissolve the mediation instrument jointly with international authority.
- It is also known that Armenia proposed another version of the peace treaty. As Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs said, the number of "open" questions regarding the draft peace agreement is decreasing. How realistic is the contract before the end of the year?
- It is endlessly said that the parties are close to a solution and a general agreement. But this "optimism" is always accompanied by the presence of unsolved problems. Preconditions voiced by Aliyev followed this statement. An amendment to the constitution is required again. The signing of a peace agreement is not imminent. Baku endlessly renews its preconditions and, in the process, dictates agenda and rules. At this point, they refer to demarcation.
- If the signing of the contract is far away, how do we understand such optimistic notes from Baku?
This is Azerbaijan's cheap tactical game. It involves making optimistic statements while proposing new preconditions. The winning side's strategy is to score maximum points and implement long-planned plans. The main prerequisite is still not discussed. In their opinion, it is the "Zangezurian corridor," which will definitely return as a precondition in the form of unblocking the channels.
- You also referred to Aliyev's demand to amend the constitution. In this regard, how would you evaluate the reservations of the President of Azerbaijan regarding the RA constitution and the talk about changing it?
It is another part of the same tactical game. Ankara also demands the amendment of the constitution, and here, the Turkish and Azerbaijani tandem is acting in concert. This is one link in the endlessly renewing preconditions that torpedo the peace process.
Arman Galoyan
