news.az, Azerbaijan
Jan 6 2010

US-Russian joint efforts to help Azerbaijan and Armenia achieve peace
Wed 06 January 2010 | 08:09 GMT Text size:

Mark Katz If America and Russia work together, they may both be in a
good position to help Azerbaijan and Armenia help themselves to
achieve peace, Mark Katz.

US expert Mark N. Katz, Political Science Professor at the Public and
International Affairs Department at George Mason University believes
that Turkey-Armenia rapprochement is putting particular
responsibilities on Armenia in terms of Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

In an interview the analyst said that "If there is a Turkish-Armenian
settlement, then Armenia will be under less pressure to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. On the other hand, Armenia wants to integrate
itself more and more with the West. The possibility of this, however,
will remain limited so long as the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute remains
unsettled".

The analyst also mentioned that "Especially now Russia appears more
interested in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and it is
possible that the US and Russia could work together on this. It is not
enough, of course, for Washington and Moscow to want this. An
agreement must be found that is acceptable to both Azerbaijan and
Armenia. Nobody can force an agreement on either".

Besides that, Mr.Katz says that "All moderating countries pursue their
own interests; America and Russia are no exception".

APA