The European Union will be more active in settling conflicts such as
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by intensifying talks, Alexey Vlasov,
Deputy Dean of the History Faculty of the Moscow State University and
Editor-in-Chief of Vestnik Kavkaza, said.
The report entitled "Updated European Neighbour Policy" says that the
EU will attend more formats of talks, such as the OSCE Minsk Group for
settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Vlasov believes that there will be no major structural changes of
mediators in the conflict. Russia increased the number of dialogue
platforms. What EU means is that it will have more counter-initiatives
in the dialogues with Baku, Yerevan and mediating states.
The new EU initiative will be realized mainly through France, a
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Germany has own interests in the
settling problems of the South Caucasus. However, they are not clear
and are extended.
France is more flexible and dynamic, its role in the OSCE MG will be
more significant, the expert says.
Vlasov believes that any mediating effort is positive. Settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict needs goodwill, especially expressed by the
sides of conflict. Russian may play a bigger role than the EU, because
Baku and Yerevan are ready to view Moscow as the main mediator. The
willingness of the EU to be more active in the process can only be
welcomed.
