Corridors and borders. What Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a trilateral meeting in Sochi, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire agreement and all hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh
The parties agreed on steps to increase the level of security and stability on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In particular, an agreement was reached on the creation of a bilateral commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border with its demarcation with the consular assistance of Russia.
“We have agreed on a number of issues that I consider to be key. The first of them is that by the end of this year we agreed to do this in order to create mechanisms of demarcation and delimitation between the two states. I hope that this will happen as soon as possible, there are no obstacles for this, “- Putin’s decree following the meeting.
The Russian President also added that the parties have made progress on humanitarian issues. According to him, during the conversation, much attention was devoted to economic ties.
“As a first step on unblocking transport corridors, this applies to both the railway and road communications. I think that here we should thank our deputy prime ministers who have been working on this issue for quite some time, ”Putin approves.
What to expect from agreements
The participants highly appreciated the talks, noted the positive nature of the work of the Russian peacekeepers in the region to stabilize the situation, and also reaffirmed their commitment to improving relations. Thus, Aliyev indicated that Baku is ready to turn the page of a long-term confrontation with Yerevan, and Pashinyan confirmed Armenia’s disposition for an era of peaceful development in the region.
Experts interviewed by Gazeta.Ru agree that the agreements on the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have become an important result. According to Nikolai Silaev, senior researcher at the Center for Caucasus Problems and Regional Security at MGIMO, this will help avoid aggravations at the borders that have undermined stability in the region in recent months.
“Probably, this will be done by the fact that there will be fewer exacerbations at the borders,” the expert said.
However, from the point of view of Silaev, this will help remove the tension around Nagorno-Karabakh itself. According to the expert, deep disagreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan still persist.
“This meeting alone will not resolve their differences. It is important here that the parties agreed to take steps to increase the level of stability and security at the border, and also reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of the provisions and statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021. That is, in principle, Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed that they are inclined towards peace. But how this will all be implemented is still unknown. Obviously, this is not a quick story, ”Silaev added.
It is impossible to reduce the tension on the borders of the two states.
“In Karabakh, the situation will still periodically escalate around the territory” [непризнанной] Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. That is, exacerbations there may continue, but it is fundamentally important that at this meeting the parties went beyond economic relations and discussed not only unblocking transport corridors, but also creating a mechanism for demarcation and demilitarization. But it is not yet clear how and when it will work, ”the expert noted.
Why did the parties engage in dialogue
The talks between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia were organized by the Russian side after another conflict on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border: the sides accused each other of shelling and invading their sovereign territory. Yerevan demanded help from Moscow to stop the provocation of Baku, in Azerbaijan the blame for the situation was shifted to Armenia.
Border shelling was stopped with the help of Russia through personal telephone conversations between the heads of state.
From point of view.
“Emotional statements are being made, and there will be many more. Of course, the parties have strong disagreements over what can be written in a peace treaty, but no one expected it to be signed from the meeting. However, the fact that it took place suggests that they are nevertheless determined to come to an agreement, although it will be very difficult, ”the expert notes.
The same Nikol Pashinyan, despite the difficult situation, is still ready to search for solutions to issues with Azerbaijan.
“Nikol Pashinyan is under serious pressure from the United States, Great Britain and France. That is, Pashinyan is in a difficult situation, but the pressure that is being exerted on him by the Armenian, and the situation itself, pushed him to search for some kind of compromise. True, in this case it is important that the Azerbaijani side is also ready for this compromise, ”the expert summed up.