Presidential meeting in Vienna crucial for resumption of dialogue, expert says

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Vienna-hosted meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents was important regardless of the absence of results, a political analyst said.

As Mikhail Alexandrov told PanARMENIAN.Net the meeting was the first in two years, with Kazan, where Azerbaijan refused to accept the OSCE Minsk Group-offered terms, hosting the last one.

“Escalation of border tensions followed, not to weaken till the very last moment. The meeting on a presidential level is important in signaling resumption of a dialogue and easing the border tensions,” the expert said.

Resumption of meetings is crucial in demonstrating a possibility for an alternative to increase of tensions or a new war as well as paving the way for compromise, the expert said.

“And it’s essential for Armenian and Azerbaijani political elite to keep those prospects in mind,” Alexandrov said.

The expert, however, was skeptical that a possible meeting in Kyiv may lead to a breakthrough in the Karabakh conflict settlement.

“Decrease of tensions at the border, non-violation of ceasefire, strengthening of trust measures at contact line, intensification of monitoring activity is what’s crucial now. And this is where some agreements are possible,” he concluded.