A Milli Majlis deputy, political scientist Asim Mollazade, told Vestnik Kavkaza, commenting on the trilateral meeting of the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, which was held yesterday in St. Petersburg, that Vladimir Putin's initiative, to organize the second meeting on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after the April battles for Karabakh, deserves only positive assessments.
"Putin's initiative is certainly a positive fact. Now everything will depend on the outcome: if the efforts will be focused on the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories, it would pave the way for peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The withdrawal of Armenian troops and real negotiations will promote trust between the parties; any other option would threaten to destabilize the region. In this case, the negative results of the meeting in St. Petersburg would deal a serious blow to the image of the Russian president. Moscow can use its influence on Armenia and, if it wants peace and stability in the Caucasus, it should do everything possible to make Yerevan withdraw its troops," he stressed.
"Let me remind you that Russia, as a permanent Security Council member, voted in favor of resolutions on the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories. I would not like the meeting in St. Petersburg to become as futile as all the meetings before. The status quo must be changed – it is becoming obvious. I think that all the member-states have a major responsibility for resolving the conflict, and the main responsibility falls on Russia," Mollazade believes.
"Today Russia has a huge influence on Armenia, so very much depends on Russia's willingness and the steps it might take in this direction. I should note that time to reach any tangible results is running out. Armenia should immediately implement the UN resolutions, should make first serious steps. Any other development would threaten the stability of the region. I believe that currently Russia is aiming for a positive outcome of the peace negotiations," he concluded.
