Wednesday, March 26 2014

The Armenian authorities should have refrained from comments on the referendum in Crimea and its joining Russia, Stepan Safaryan, a political scientist, Secretary General of Heritage Party, told reporters, Wednesday.

According to him, the behavior of the Armenian authorities in Crimea's issue may affect the negotiations for peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict. He thinks that in conditions when all the superpowers oppose Moscow's actions, Armenia could find a more diplomatic approach and not just side with Russia, a country experiencing international sanctions. 

"The authorities should not have drawn parallels between the Crimea referendum and the Karabakh issue, as the referendum in Artsakh, unlike the one in Crimea, met all the norms of the International Law," Safaryan said.

In this light, the political scientist said, it is not in favor of Armenia to hold an international summit on the Karabakh issue at present, because the country's reputation has fallen dramatically in the eyes of the world community. 

"Armenia was a favorite of the EU until it adopted a decision to join the Customs Union and made pro- Russian statement on Crimea. Yerevan has lost its advantages, which will affect the Karabakh peace process,"  Safaryan said. Meanwhile, he said, Azerbaijan is actively advocating for the principle of territorial integrity of Ukraine, "building it on" the Karabakh issue.

Earlier on March 24, US Co-Chair of the OSCE MG, Ambassador James Warlick twitted: "Met with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Agreement in principle to a summit to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh.  We will seek dates."

Later on the same day, the ambassador wrote: "Thx for good comments. If the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are open to constructive dialogue, we can find a way to lasting peace."