Alexander Manasyan: St. Petersburg presidential meeting made Aliyev upset

PanARMENIAN.Net - The meeting between the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents in St. Petersburg proves that the OSCE Minsk Group has given green light to development of separate sub-processes to fix some progress in Karabakh talks, an expert said.

“Ilham Aliyev’s presence at the meeting was a result of pressure by the international community, which clearly indicated unwillingness to tolerate attempts to undermine Karabakh peace process by ongoing warlike rhetoric,” Alexander Manasyan told a news conference on June 18.

“Upon return to Baku, Aliyev will try to justify himself ascribing to Armenian President and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs statements which were never made,” he emphasized. “The fact that Aliyev has quitted the International Economic Forum means that the atmosphere in the trilateral meeting made him upset.”

As to Madrid Principles, Manasyan said that these are just a basis for talks but Armenia is not obliged to accept them. “The revised document doesn’t exist as such. The Principles have not changed since 2007, as matter of fact,” he said.

Manasyan stated that Azerbaijan will recognize the status of NKR as an independent state sooner or later but Armenia should not pin hopes on this.