Expert: Russia must make breakthrough decision to resolve Karabakh conflict

Russia must make a breakthrough decision to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Grigory Trofimchuk, Chairman of the Expert Council of Research Support Foundation “Workshop of Eurasian Ideas”.

He made the remarks during discussions on ways of resolving the conflict, organized by the Baku Network expert council on April 7.

“The issue of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani NagornoKarabakh conflict affects everyone, and we have been discussing it since 1994, looking for solutions to the conflict,” Trofimchuk said.

He noted that since the outbreak of the April fighting in 2016, the situation around the conflict moved to another level.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire of largecaliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers by Armenian army. Azerbaijani counter-attack led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

The expert reminded that after the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016, specific structures authorized to solve the problem, including the OSCE Minsk Group, were given specific recommendations concerning technical and economic aspects of the conflict.

“However, the OSCE Minsk Group has not fulfilled the tasks set by the heads of state at these meetings,” Trofimchuk stressed.

He added that Armenia in fact does not need the negotiation process on the conflict settlement, but Azerbaijan needs. “Russia in this situation must make a new, breakthrough decision to resolve the conflict,” the expert said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the NagornoKarabakh and surrounding districts.