Experts discuss mediation in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The Nagorno-Karabakh peace process was enlivened this week by OSCE Minsk Group co-chair James Warlick's visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia. The official brought US President Barack Obama's message to the authorities of the two states.

The US president called upon Azerbaijan and Armenia to enhance their efforts in order to resolve the Karabakh conflict. The parties should start direct talks within the next several months, the message said.

Vestnik Kavkaza discussed the situation surrounding the peace talks with Professor of the Western University Fikret Sadykhov and Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskanderyan.

Sadykhov stressed that Azerbaijan and Armenia have different approaches to the issue. In addition to Nagorno-Karabakh itself, Armenia has also occupied seven districts of Azerbaijan. This territory is recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the whole international community, he underlines.

Speaking about the mediators' role in the peace process, the expert said that the OSCE managed to stop violence in the 90s. However, he expressed regret that the international community seems unable to change the status quo, which is absolutely unacceptable now.

Alexander Iskanderyan believes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict affects the whole region. Such powers as Turkey and Iran cannot stand aside from this conflict, he says. It's not a bilateral issue, the expert stresses.

Iskanderyan believes that it's strange to blame the OSCE mediators for the fact that the peace talks are not successful. The international community cannot solve the problem instead of the participants in the conflict, he says.