Belarus proposes to mediate in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Minsk

Belarus is ready to provide the necessary assistance in the search for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said.

“I say with all responsibility that we are ready to host meetings of different levels and formats in the Belarusian capital to promote the settlement of disputes between any conflicting parties, provided that they address us with such a request. This also applies to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Trend cited Lukashenko as saying.

He noted that Belarusians are not indifferent to the situation in Karabakh. And this is understandable. "Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and representatives of many other nations – we all come from one great country, one family called ‘the Soviet Union'. We will therefore make every effort for the sake of peace, normal life and stability,” the Belarusian President said. 

He noted that Belarus' position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains the same: the problem can be solved only at the negotiating table and in accordance with principles of international law. “As a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, Belarus is ready to provide the parties with the necessary assistance in the search for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. We believe that for people there is no thing of greater value than peace and tranquility in the country,” he noted.

Belarusian leader said that his country has become a peacemaker through the balanced and responsible policy that fully serves the national interests and promotes stability in Europe. “Minsk is rightfully recognized by the international community as the most convenient platform for negotiating a peaceful settlement to the situation in the east of Ukraine,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

A Milli Majlis deputy, political scientist Asim Mollazade, told Vestnik Kavkaza, that Baku can only welcome the intensification of Belarus as an OSCE Minsk Group member, because "the Minsk Group has not been able to justify the trust and achieve significant progress in resolving the conflict, primarily due to the fact that it was not based on the principles of international law and the basic documents of the international organizations, which gave the Minsk group the mandate to work".

"In this regard, we welcome any Minsk efforts in mediation work in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I think that Azerbaijan will always positively assess such proposals of the President of Belarus. It should be noted that no platforms, or international organizations, even the world community will not be able to achieve any results if they are not firmly guided by the principles of international law," Asim Mollazade noticed.

The head of the parliamentary faction of the Armenian National Congress, Levon Zurabyan, in turn, recalled that according to the idea of ​​ the OSCE Minsk Group's membership, as soon as the conflicting parties come to any agreement, Minsk will convene a conference on Nagorno Karabakh. "The negotiation process is being mediated by the co-chairs of the Minsk Group: the US, France and Russia. And before the conference, most likely, Belarus is able to provide political support to this process," he noted.

Levon Zurabyan expressed doubt that the efforts of only Belarus will help to achieve a certain progress in the peace negotiations. "In fact, the settlement of this problem depends primarily on the conflicting parties, as well as on the efforts of the main mediators, I mean, first of all, the OSCE Minsk Group," the deputy pointed out.