Political analysts see mistake in Nagorno-Karabakh President's refusal to meet OSCE Minsk Group co-Chairs

Araik Arutyunyan, President of Nagorno-Karabakh, refused to meet the co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group from the United States and France. The Russian co-Chair did not come to the meeting due to illness. Araik Arutyunyan has missed a rare chance to discuss with the mediators the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the problems that arose after the war, political analysts note.

According to Vagram Pogosyan, the press secretary of the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, Araik Arutyunyan refused to come to the meeting because of the "incomplete composition of the OSCE Minsk Group."

The President of Nagorno-Karabakh would have a chance to discuss "various humanitarian issues, including the problem concerning prisoners of war," noted Ara Papyan, a member of the movement "National Democratic Pole".

"The President of Nagorno-Karabakh defiantly cancelled the meeting due to the absence of the Russian co-Chair ... Armenia and Karabakh do not request France to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. It cannot be called anything other than a betrayal of national interests," political observer Naira Airumyan believes.

According to her, the fact that the war stopped after the Russia's intervention does not mean "that it is also necessary to delegate own primary rights to Moscow." "The self-determination of Karabakh is the only guarantee for the safe living of Armenians in Karabakh ... And the Russia's interests do not always coincide with the interests of Armenians," Naira Airumyan explains.

The agreement on Karabakh between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia is just a declaration of the armistice, Ara Papyan suggests. The armed incident in the Gadrut District demonstrated that due to their limited number, the Russian peacekeepers alone are not able to guarantee peace in Karabakh, especially taking into account the fact that after the war and the transfer of some territories to Azerbaijan, the contact line "increased significantly," the expert notes.