Karabakh conflict: “slumbering” rather than “frozen”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan can’t be characterized as “frozen”. There are no frozen conflicts in Caucasus, so Karabakh issue is rather a “slumbering” one, British journalist Thomas de Vaal said.

As the expert told a news conference in Yerevan, Karabakh status is the key issue in conflict settlement process. He emphasized establishment of contacts between Armenian and Azeri people as crucial for achieving peace in the zone of conflict. “Intermediary status for Karabakh is being negotiated, but this is only possible with full safety guarantees. Still, under the circumstances, with the region militarized, I see no ways to achieve the status,” Thomas de Vaal said, stressing that the settlement of conflict is a responsibility of people involved in it.

The expert spoke about the necessity to establish atmosphere of trust, noting that Baku is not happy with the preservation of status quo. In the short term, Thomas de Vaal ruled out the possibility of hostilities’ resumption in Karabakh, noting, though, that Azerbaijan might use this method in 5-10 years.

As the expert noted, EU has to intensify its role in conflict settlement, supporting conflicting parties and trying to promote trust between them.

The expert characterized Armenia-Turkey relations as more dynamic compared with those between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Normalizing relations with Armenia, Turkey will be able to break out of vicious triangle, thus facilitating Karabakh conflict settlement. Ankara’s attempt at direct interference will only harm the process,” he concluded.