The Azerbaijani side has been keeping the Lachin Corridor closed for 12 days, violating the provisions outlined in point 6 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. Radar Armenia spoke with political scientist Armen Vardanyan about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

- Due to the situation in Lachin Corridor, the Armenian side asked to postpone the tripartite meeting of Foreign Ministers. Would it be possible to meet and discuss the issues or wait for them?

- Of course, meetings are more effective for solving problems, but since the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia asked to postpone that meeting, this demarche has an apparent reason. The Armenian side is making a demarche because it understands that the problem will not be solved by such discussions and is trying to solve it in another way. There were behind-the-scenes negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan. The Armenian side was not satisfied with its results, so it went to demarche, expressing its protest in that way.

- In terms of opening the Lachin Corridor, what should Armenia do, and what should Russia do?

- Armenia should internationalize the issue of the Lachin Corridor. In this regard, it was essential to take the case to the UN Security Council, international courts, particularly the ECHR, and soon the International Court of Justice. This way, the problem is internationalized to achieve that and does not remain only in tripartite agreements. And the Russian side should fulfill its duties more clearly, opening the way through negotiations or other means, because according to the document of November 9, 2020, the Lachin Corridor is under their control. Armenia should also present demands to Russia so that it fulfills its obligations, even if it is not public.

- The international community reacts and directly demands Azerbaijan to open the road. Why does the Iranian side not make any statements? What is the reason for the constraint of the Iranian side in this matter?

- Iran's behavior in the Artsakh matter has never favored Armenia. In general, they always defend the principle of territorial integrity. As for Artsakh, they were either neutral or pro-Azerbaijani. And regarding the territorial integrity of RA, for example, Syunik, Iran's position is significantly different from the posts on the Karabakh issue. That's why they took a passionate attitude regarding the Lachin Corridor, and nothing more was expected. If we are honest, Iran is not even interested in this issue. Its concerns are mainly related to the southern borders of Armenia so that the "Zangezur Corridor" does not become a reality. Iran is kept from the world in its northern parts, falling under the dependence on the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem.

Hayk Magoyan