Deadlock or New Breath: Tarasov on the Resolution of the Artsakh Issue

According to the daily "Zhoghovurd," the resolution of the Artsakh issue will come to a standstill and temporarily halt. In an interview with "Zhoghovurd," Caucasus expert Stanislav Tarasov shared this viewpoint while discussing the recent developments surrounding Armenia and Artsakh.

The matter is that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, mentioned in an interview with the "Liberty" radio station that the Artsakh conflict is unresolved, and the issues of status and return of displaced persons remain open. The return of displaced persons is nothing but the deoccupation of Shushi and Hadrut, as it is in these areas that the issue of displaced persons' return exists. Prior to that, U.S. President Joe Biden had used the term 'genocide' in his speech.

However, it should be noted that Tarasov believes that recognizing this at this moment is the least necessary. "The Americans do not legitimize the consequences of the war and want to resume actions through the Minsk Group. The recognition of genocide occurred at a time when unspoken contacts were beginning between Yerevan and Ankara. I believe the Turks will not act immediately, but will take a pause, which means that the resolution of the Karabakh issue will come to a standstill," said Tarasov.

According to him, Moscow has not completely abandoned the work of the OSCE Minsk Group, and Macron is also raising the question of activating the OSCE Minsk Group's work. "The problem is that Azerbaijan does not agree, as the proposed agenda includes the issue of clarifying the status of Artsakh, while Azerbaijan considers that the Karabakh issue does not exist at all. I believe that negotiations around the status of Karabakh will resume one way or another," he added.

Tarasov pointed out that the Americans are working in favor of worsening the situation, and it is very likely that there is dialogue between Washington and Paris regarding the coordination of their steps in the OSCE Minsk Group. However, according to him, Russia will also not remain indifferent to the processes.