2024-04-03 21:36:32
Another meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev does not seem reasonable before the presidential election in Azerbaijan.
The Armenian service of RFE/RL – Azatutyun writes that this was done by the deputy of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the ruling “Citizens’ Contract” party. Gevork Papoyan said.
Azatutyun reminds that 6 months after the last face-to-face meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Aliyev refused the planned talks in Granada and Brussels.
After the standing meeting of the two leaders at the CIS summit held in St. Petersburg last December, hopes were revived in Yerevan that peace was near.
However, according to Papoyan, Aliyev’s statements at the beginning of this year disappointed the members of the ruling “Citizen Contract” party.
Pashinyan’s party deputy said that there is no trace of his previous optimism.
The parties look at the negotiations from opposite poles
Papoyan said that the parties have been exchanging proposals for a peace agreement for months. Armenia presented its latest proposals to Baku on January 4.
Official Yerevan stated that there is a delay in the issues already agreed upon in Azerbaijan’s latest proposal.
Azatutyun writes that, according to many Armenian commentators, Aliyev’s latest demands revealed that even after the departure of the Armenian population from Karabakh, the parties viewed the negotiations from completely opposite poles.
Commentators point out that now Azerbaijan not only demands the “Zangezur Corridor” from Armenia, but also shows that it does not intend to withdraw from the territories it occupied after the 44-day war.
“The map of 1960 is also acceptable to us”
In addition, the President of Azerbaijan rejected Yerevan’s proposal to use the maps of 1975 as a basis for delimitation. Aliyev did not express an opinion on which specific map should be used for this purpose.
Papoyan said that Yerevan does not refuse to discuss any other maps in principle, but these maps must have a legal basis:
“For example, if the map of 1960 comes out, it also has a legal basis, and in principle, we have no problem with it. But any map must be approved. By the Supreme Soviets of the Azerbaijan SSR, the Armenian SSR or the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. That is, the map must have been printed by a certain ministry of that period, that is, it must be an official document, not a map drawn by historians.”
Azatutyun writes that a week ago, while talking about the demarcation, Aliyev also mentioned the maps of the 1940s and 60s.
He stated that during that period the lands of Azerbaijan were given to Armenia:
“I mean, you’re leaving out the 1960s, 1950s, 1940s, and you want to refer to the 1970s. Precisely because our historical lands were already given to them. That’s why we strongly objected to it and continue to do so. “Unfortunately, it is not only Armenia that wants to use the map of the 1970s as a basis, but it is its “Armenia Plus” group, and we can never agree to this.”
Fear of war
Meanwhile, former President Levon Ter-PetrosyanDeputy Chairman of the Armenian National Congress Party Levon Zurabyan On January 16, he told Azatutyun that Aliyev has not given up on the idea of ”Zangezur Corridor” and is ready to open it by force.
Zurabyan said that Aliyev is preparing for a new war.
The politician said that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is trying to present the situation in accordance with his agenda:
“Our government does not understand what is happening in international politics. They do not understand the ongoing processes and dangers.”
Earlier, in response to Yerevan’s statements, Azerbaijani officials said that Baku does not intend to open the corridor that will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan by force.
The representatives of the Azerbaijani authorities also said that Baku has an alternative option and the road can be opened through the territory of Iran.
Freedom radio