RUBEN SAFRASTYAN DOES NOT PREDICT A RAPID SOLUTION TO THE KARABAKH ISSUE
Sona Hakobyan

"Radiolur"
21.07.2009 18:05

The main objective of the statement of the Presidents of the OSCE
Minsk group co-chair countries and the revealing of the Madrid
Principles was to accelerate the negotiation process, Director of
the Oriental Studies Institute of the Armenian National Academy of
Sciences Ruben Safrastyan told a press conference today. It was also
aimed at familiarizing the societies of the two countries with the
main principles that lay in the basis of the negotiation process.

"For the first time it was made public that Azerbaijan is negotiating
the issue of Karabakh’s becoming an independent state. I think
this was a great shock in the socio-political life of Azerbaijan,"
Safrastyan said.

Ruben Safrastyan considers that the Moscow meeting should not be
overestimated, because no document was signed there. However, the
meeting should not be underestimated, either.

"On the other hand we must assume that the Presidents had a very
open conversation, and probably on one of the Madrid Principles,
which envisages an independent status for Nagorno Karabakh," he said.

As for Russia’s position, the Director of the Oriental Studies
Institute considers that the current accelerated stage of the Karabakh
settlement is first of all connected with Russia, since the latter
is int erested in having allied relations with Armenia.