‘’It is time to turn Nagorno-Karabakh into a land of creation from a land of contention,’’ the deputy of the director general of the Center for the Study of Post-Soviet Space at Moscow State University, Yevgeny Nikolaichuk, said at a press conference in Moscow titled ‘The fragile truce in the zone of Karabakh conflict: how to keep the peace?’
‘’People have been in the trenches on both sides for 22 years. From time to time there are some outbursts, shootings, resulting in armed conflict. But this conflict cannot be solved in a military way. There are the Madrid Principles written clearly, which serve as a guide to action, a ‘roadmap’ for a resolution of the conflict", Nikolaichuk reminded.
They require, firstly, non-use of force, which means a withdrawal of troops, and especially the liberation of the occupied areas, the seven areas of the occupied districts of Azerbaijan. Secondly, non-use of force in the future. Thirdly, the nation's right to self-determination and territorial integrity. "It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel, everything has been thought out. And Russia can play one of the dominant roles, which was shown by Sergey Lavrov's visit to Baku, and by Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Azerbaijan and to Armenia. It was not in vain that at a press conference Lavrov called Armenia and Azerbaijan the best friends of Russia. Who can reconcile the two warring parties, if not the best friend?" the expert asks.
In his opinion, the ideal way is to make the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh not a land of contention, but a land of creation: "Nothing prevents it being arranged so that the South Caucasus countries work together to rebuild this territory. Now this is a ruined land, there are destroyed houses – it is necessary to restore everything. Armenia has occupied this region for more than 20 years, but nothing has been done there. Together we can turn it into a ‘little Switzerland’, with the participation of Turkey, Georgia and Iran, to restore the land and to make it a piece of paradise as it was in the old good Soviet times."
