Semneby believes real progress is being made in Karabakh process
EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby believes real progress is being made in the Nagorno-Karabakh process.
"It is clear that if you look at the negotiating process, it is intensifying," he told Reuters. "We had in a month two meetings and there will be another relatively soon between the presidents."
Asked about the risk of conflict, Semneby said it would be foolish to neglect it but he felt both sides understood the enormous costs which would be involved in any large-scale military engagement.
"Even with this very dangerous posturing that we see sometimes and the fact that the forces are not separated and there are incidents all the time, the two sides are by now used to managing incidents," he said.
"If anything, the Georgia war (last year with Russia), demonstrated the risks of military engagement ... it was also a wake-up call to both countries how vulnerable they are."
"It is clear that if you look at the negotiating process, it is intensifying," he told Reuters. "We had in a month two meetings and there will be another relatively soon between the presidents."
Asked about the risk of conflict, Semneby said it would be foolish to neglect it but he felt both sides understood the enormous costs which would be involved in any large-scale military engagement.
"Even with this very dangerous posturing that we see sometimes and the fact that the forces are not separated and there are incidents all the time, the two sides are by now used to managing incidents," he said.
"If anything, the Georgia war (last year with Russia), demonstrated the risks of military engagement ... it was also a wake-up call to both countries how vulnerable they are."
