Radar Armenia spoke with political scientist Armen Baghdasaryan about the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

- In regulating Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, competition has started between the West and Russia. In your opinion, how will that competition affect the process?

- I think that as a result, the tension will only increase because Russia is very jealous of this competition and considers the activity of the West to be a step against it, threatening almost in plain text that it will lead to an increase in tension. I think these threats may come true as a tool of pressure on Armenia through manifestations of Azerbaijani aggression because Russia has real and severe leverage in our region.

- The Secretary of the RA Security Council said yesterday that a peace agreement should be signed by December. In your opinion, how realistic is that period? Can we witness that document at the end of the year or not?

- The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan announced that he had forwarded the expanded proposals to Armenia. I assume there are new demands for Armenia, which "Haykakan Zhamanak" published. But this is just an assumption. If this is the case, then I do not think this agreement will be signed because it will not be a peace agreement but an agreement on the abolition of Armenia as a sovereign state. That is why I think that agreement will not be signed. At the same time, Azerbaijan presents extended proposals for that very purpose, so the Armenian side rejects it and gets a legitimate right.

- It turns out that the signing of the peace treaty is not in the interests of Azerbaijan.

- Of course, it does not follow. They need Armenia to be the rejecting side because if they needed that peace, on the very day of the Prague meeting, Aliyev would not have announced that they would restore Karabakh and Zangezur. It contradicts their official statement, suggesting that Azerbaijan's goal is to present itself as a peacemaker through international propaganda so that Armenia is declared the guilty party in the next war or escalation.

- Judging by the currently available information, are there significant differences in the proposals of the West and the Russian Federation or not?

- Yes, there are significant differences because Russia aims to strengthen itself in our region. And the purpose of the West is to push Russia out of the area and, first of all, out of Armenia. Since the interests are diametrically opposite, naturally, their visions differ significantly.

- Does increase the influence of this or that side in Armenia involve risks?

- If we had a visible, stable, 3-4 year perspective in front of us, we could think about making a choice. Since we don't have that much time, we have to consider the intentions of the power poles and the existence of real levers. Unfortunately, our region's real levers are in Russia's hands. That is why it is dangerous to work in both directions simultaneously in this situation because it can be hazardous.

Hayk Magoyan