Signing of basic principles on peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflcit would only mark the start of a process, not its conclusion. But if Russian President Medvedev can get Armeian and Azerbaijani presidents to put ink to paper, it will be a rare and significant step forward in this confrontation and a validation of the Russian leader’s persistence, Sabine Freizer, International Crisis Group Director of the Europe Program said in her article published by The New York Times.

“The time is running out because this autumn campaigning will begin in the region and in the Minsk Group countries for 2012 and 2013 elections, thus complicating matters for some and driving the issue lower on the priority list for others,” the article noted.

“Nagorno-Karabakh has been pushed down the ladder for too long. A final settlement would allow some 600,000 internally displaced people to return to their homes and offer a sense of security for the approximately 150,000 people currently living in Nagorno-Karabakh. It would put an end to fears of a regional war. It is now up to President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to decide if war or peace is more threatening,” the article concluded.