Political analysts: Aliev and Pashinyan to benefit from negotiations with Putin

At a meeting with Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev has obtained the confirmation of his plans to resume railway communication with Nakhichevan, while the Armenian Prime Minister secured political support from Russia amid protests organized by the Armenian opposition. This opinion was voiced by political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 11, the trilateral negotiations between the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia took place in Moscow. The leaders agreed to create a joint working group to solve the problems of the economy and transport infrastructure of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Both Azerbaijan and Armenia were interested in the new meeting, believes political analyst Konstantin Sivkov, the deputy president of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences (known as RARAN). "The precondition for the meeting is very simple. In fact, neither side is satisfied with the results of the conflict [...] Therefore, both sides are now trying to settle this matter in their favour," Konstantin Sivkov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The political analyst agreed with the statement of the Armenian Prime Minister on the need to discuss the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. "The situation with the status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be resolved in an appropriate way, and there is no way to get away from this fact. Nagorno-Karabakh is in a suspended state now," Konstantin Sivkov said.

According to Igor Korotchenko, the editor-in-chief of the "National Defence" magazine, the main result of the meeting is the Kremlin's reminder that Moscow continues to closely monitor the implementation of the initiatives provided for by the trilateral agreement. "First of all, today we are talking about a transport corridor through Armenia, which will connect Nakhichevan with Azerbaijan. Everyone, including Armenia, will benefit from the transport corridor. So, the country will be thereby included in regional economic projects," the political analyst said.

The political analyst described the arrival of the Armenian Prime Minister in Moscow and his participation in the trilateral negotiations as "a politically extended hand to Nikol Pashinyan" from the Kremlin. "Thus, President Putin shows that he sees in the person of Nikol Pashinyan an equal state leader of the Republic of Armenia. So, in the eyes of Russia, Nikol Pashinyan is a legitimate leader of Armenia. Meanwhile, Armenia, at least part of the Armenian elite, is to draw appropriate conclusions," Igor Korotchenko emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 12, 2021 at 02:14 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.