08 April 2022, 13:45
Baku and Yerevan analysts assess efficiency of Brussels agreements
The meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Brussels was an attempt to avoid the conflict escalation, but the agreements reached there will give no guarantee of the end to provocations on the border, Akop Badalyan and Ovsep Khurshudyan believe. In their turn, Togrul Djuvarly and Natig Djafarli have pointed out that the work of the border delimitation commission will minimize risks of clashes.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at their meeting on April 6, the Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliev, and the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, agreed to set up a commission to delimit the countries' borders and start drafting a peace agreement.
If preparations for peace talks drag on for months, the Brussels meeting could be treated as failed, Akop Badalyan, a columnist for the "1in.am" portal, has stated, adding that similar conclusions could be drawn if the formation of the delimitation commission is delayed.
Mr Badalyan also believes that the work of the border demarcation commission will allow avoiding forceful intervention in resolving border disputes, but it can't be an absolute guarantee that there will be no provocation at the borders.
According to Natig Djafarli, a member of the "Respublika" Research Centre, the clarification of borders opens the way for unblocking transport communications and developing cross-border trade ties.
In Azerbaijani-Armenian talks, the most difficult issue is the statement in the agreement of the mutual recognition of the two countries' territorial integrity, Azer Gasymly, an analyst, believes.
In order to avoid manipulation by the Armenians, the peace agreement should state that Armenia recognizes Karabakh as Azerbaijan's territory, Mr Gasymly is sure.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 8, 2022 at 00:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Tigran Petrosyan, Faik Medjid Source: CK correspondents