Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents’ recent meeting in Sochi will impart a positive impulse to their further efforts during the current year, said Dessislava Roussanova, International Alert’s Projects Director for the Eurasia Program.

“A political settlement of Karabakh conflict depends on the conflicting parties and their willingness to seek mutually acceptable decisions,” Desislava Rusanova told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Russia has intensified activities in the Karabakh process over the recent years, according to her.

“No one argues that Russia knows South Caucasus better than any other foreign stakeholder in our region. It realizes the mentality and specific outlook of the parties to conflict. That is Russia’s advantage for being an effective intermediary in disputable issues like this. The fact that official Baku and Yerevan constantly express their high appreciation of Russia’s mediation proves its unquestionable role in the settlement process. Such attitude was also confirmed during the meeting in Sochi,” Ms. Roussanova said.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in 1988 as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 to 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions of Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

The trilateral meeting between Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents was held on January 25 in Moscow.

International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organization that works to lay the foundations for lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict. It operates in over 20 countries and territories around the world, both directly with people affected by violent conflict as well as at government, EU and UN levels to shape both policy and practice in building sustainable peace.