Former foreign minister of Nagorno Karabakh Republic, independent analyst Arman Melikyan is sure that Russia will not make Serzh Sargsyan go on more concession, unless Ilham Aliyev pays the price it wants.
Talking to ArmInfo, Melikyan said Putin's recent statement that Moscow is not forcing any settlement scheme upon the sides to the Karabakh conflict was a kind of warning to Aliyev, a reminder about the services he must provide in exchange for the "April advance" from Moscow. Otherwise, Aliyev will face serious sanctions, the analyst says.
According to Melikyan, after the Putin-Sarsyan-Aliyev meeting in Saint Petersburg, Moscow anticipates Baku to implement the arrangements implying establishment of Moscow-Baku-Tehran strategic axis. In his words, the Kremlin demonstrated in practice how it controls Armenia's actions and is waiting for a relevant response from Baku.
Referring to diplomatic sources, Ani Armenian Analytical Center has published the so-called Putin Plan on Karabakh. The plan is rather close to the stage-by-stage settlement scheme of 1997 and consists of two major packages: 1) the Armenian forces are withdrawn from 5 regions - Aghdam Fizouli, Jebrail, Zangelan, and Kubatlu. 2) Nagorno Karabakh receives a firm intermediate status not implying a return to Azerbaijan's territory or an independent status within the visible future. The referendum for the implementation of the Karabakh people's right to the self-determination, which is stipulated by the Madrid and Kazan documents, is postponed for an indefinite period of time.