“Any state will try to regain lost territories”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave details about the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan with their Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi at the end of the week. Putin will meet them individually and then hold a trilateral summit to strengthen trust and reduce risks of confrontation in Karabakh. The recent outburst of tensions there forced observers to speculate about a renewal of mass military activities in the region. Now, Western sanctions, the situation in Ukraine, Crimea and Karabakh are tying themselves into a knot for Moscow. Moscow is trying to score as many points in the international arena as possible in the context of the sanctions. This gives a boost to mediation. According to experts, moving the Karabakh conflict into a constructive stream would allow the Russian authorities to double their calls for peacekeeping in the south-east of Ukraine.

Journalist Nikolai Troitsky said at the Special Opinion show of Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio: “Escalation in Karabakh is inevitable. Double standards are peculiar to the situation, there are statements about the annexation of Crimea but I have not heard statements about the annexation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region… Some of our Russian socio-political and public figures supporting events in Karabakh, and many have even visited it, know about it.”

Evaluating the situation in Karabakh, Troitsky admitted: “We have Azerbaijani territory proclaiming itself an independent republic. It achieved, protected its independence by military means. Besides, there are seven or eight districts occupied that have never declared themselves Karabakh. It is a safety belt, like the Golan Heights in Syria, for security reasons… I do not want to take sides. But in terms of the Crimean situation, let’s demand Armenia to give Azerbaijan back the territory and Nagorno-Karabakh, especially all the districts that have nothing to do with it. But I do not seem to hear that. Not from a single soul.”

Troitsky urged politicians to be consistent: “As concerns the Karabakh conflict, there is nothing surprising about it, because any state would try to regain lost territories.”

Supposes Nikolai TroitskyRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave details about the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan with their Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi at the end of the week. Putin will meet them individually and then hold a trilateral summit to strengthen trust and reduce risks of confrontation in Karabakh. The recent outburst of tensions there forced observers to speculate about a renewal of mass military activities in the region. Now, Western sanctions, the situation in Ukraine, Crimea and Karabakh are tying themselves into a knot for Moscow. Moscow is trying to score as many points in the international arena as possible in the context of the sanctions. This gives a boost to mediation. According to experts, moving the Karabakh conflict into a constructive stream would allow the Russian authorities to double their calls for peacekeeping in the south-east of Ukraine.Journalist Nikolai Troitsky said at the Special Opinion show of Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio: “Escalation in Karabakh is inevitable. Double standards are peculiar to the situation, there are statements about the annexation of Crimea but I have not heard statements about the annexation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region… Some of our Russian socio-political and public figures supporting events in Karabakh, and many have even visited it, know about it.”Evaluating the situation in Karabakh, Troitsky admitted: “We have Azerbaijani territory proclaiming itself an independent republic. It achieved, protected its independence by military means. Besides, there are seven or eight districts occupied that have never declared themselves Karabakh. It is a safety belt, like the Golan Heights in Syria, for security reasons… I do not want to take sides. But in terms of the Crimean situation, let’s demand Armenia to give Azerbaijan back the territory and Nagorno-Karabakh, especially all the districts that have nothing to do with it. But I do not seem to hear that. Not from a single soul.”Troitsky urged politicians to be consistent: “As concerns the Karabakh conflict, there is nothing surprising about it, because any state would try to regain lost territories