Aliyev changed his stance in Sochi, despite previous bellicose statements

PanARMENIAN.Net - Spokesperson for the Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov said that the statement adopted in Sochi by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents will hardly be a decisive one in the negotiations on Karabakh, but it should be unequivocally viewed as a progress.

“Armenia’s stance is rather clear. We have repeatedly expressed our adherence to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, offering Azerbaijan to agree with respect to snipers’ withdrawal from the frontline. We even made an offer to sign an agreement on non-aggression,” Sharmazanov told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to him, Azerbaijan, which has been continuously speaking about a military resolution of the conflict, has changed its stance and agreed to sign the Sochi statement due to Moscow’s pressure.

Sharmazanov said that the Sochi statement was first of all advantageous for Armenia, taking into consideration the frequent subversive attacks of Azerbaijan on the line of contact of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces.

Head of the department for foreign affairs of the Azerbaijani president's administration Novruz Mamedov also commented on the trilateral meeting in Sochi. According to Interfax, he said that “the Armenian side displayed some positive changes in its stance on Karabakh.”

On March 5, Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents - Serzh Sargsyan, Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev - adopted a joint statement on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement based on the results of their negotiations in Sochi.

The document reads that the Presidents considered matters of practical implementation of the trilateral statement adopted during the October 27, 2010, meeting in Astrakhan. Specifically, the Presidents agreed to finalize the swap of POWs as soon as possible.

The document stresses the parties’ willingness “to solve all disputable matters peacefully and conduct investigation of possible incidents along the ceasefire line under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group through the assistance of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.”