Russia: Hasty Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will create new conflicts

PanARMENIAN.Net - An attempt to hastily conclude a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the expense of quality and proper preparation will result in new conflicts in the future, director of the fourth department of the CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry Denis Gonchar said in an interview with TASS on Thursday, August 3.

"A hastily prepared, crude peace treaty will not bring sustainable peace to the region. On the contrary, it will lay the groundwork for new conflicts and tragedies in the future. Priority should be given not to speed, but to the qualitative preparation of balanced and mutually acceptable solutions," the diplomat stressed.

Thus, he drew attention to the fact that statements are periodically heard from Western capitals that Baku and Yerevan will be able to sign a peace treaty "almost in the coming weeks and months."

According to Gonchar, Russia proceeds from the fact that the terms of signing should be determined by the parties themselves. "The task of mediators is not to speed up the negotiation process for the sake of opportunistic considerations, but to contribute to the achievement of strong long-term agreements. They must rely on the prevailing realities on the ground, primarily on the Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani statements at the highest level and the mechanisms operating on their basis", he added.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population.