“An Agreement couldn’t Have Been Reached in St. Petersburg”
Statement by Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, on phase-to-phase return of provinces is for the internal audience, and one shouldn’t take it seriously. Alexander Arzumanyan, NA MP, former RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, told 168.am.
“Mammadov is known for rather inadequate statements, he says what serves to their propaganda. It’s just a statement of internal use. At large, he touches upon elements of Madrid and Kazan documents. We all know that negotiations are held around them, however, I’m sure that during this meeting likewise issues haven’t been discussed, mainly possibilities and ways of resumption of negotiations have been covered. Thus, any agreement couldn’t have been reached,” A.Arzumanyan said.
According to him, negotiation as it is hasn’t been launched in St. Petersburg, as a result of which the sides could have agreed something, but possibilities for resumption of negotiations have been discussed, as well as steps to be taken to that end. A.Arzumanyan stressed that for the time being war state is existent, and ways out are sought,
“Both in Vienna and St. Petersburg discussions are being held only on the possibility of resumption of those negotiations. I don’t consider that they should discuss document details on that level. And Mammadov, continuing the propagandist campaign, that they have won the war, liberated territories, and now they say, we have gone to St. Petersburg, and demanded to withdraw from those territories and we have come to an agreement. That’s why I don’t consider it should be taken seriously.”
According to A.Arzumanyan the meeting in St. Petersburg may be considered an additional tube for the general process, “Our concern prior to the meeting was that an attempt was being made to create an alternative to Minsk process, however, developments show that, finally, all this will serve to Minsk process.
I think new meeting will be recorded organized both by the U.S. and France, everybody should show that something is being done. Russia simply attempted to prove once again that it has a crucial role in this region and there are frames of issues, that it may settle independently as well, and reestablish its importance by that.”
Touching upon the fact that there was no any reflection to installation of investigative mechanisms in the official joint statement released after the meeting in St. Petersburg, A.Arzumanyan called it a shortcoming of the statement and assured that the issue has been touched upon, “Only expansion of the monitoring group has been stated, which being positive in itself doesn’t settle any issue, as despite the fact whether there are 6 or 116 observers, they won’t have any essential impact. It’s another issue, that in the comments by Lavrov and others those possibilities of installation of investigative mechanisms have been covered. I’m sure other Co-Chairs still continue working in that direction.”
Note. Novruz Mammadov stated that an agreement has been reached in St. Petersburg around phase-to-phase settlement of Karabakh conflict.
By Gayane Khachatryan
