NO NEED OF IRANIAN MEDIATION IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS: EXPERT

news.am
April 21 2010
Armenia

"Iran’s mediation in Nagorno-Karabakh peace process is not of
any benefit to us," Deputy Director of the Noravank Research and
Education Foundation, Iranian studies expert Sevak Sarukhanyan told
journalists April 21. "I do not think that Iran should be involved
in the Karabakh process as a mediator, as the OSCE Minsk Group is
the optimal negotiating format for Armenia, and getting rid of OSCE
MG is of no benefit to Armenia," he said.

Azerbaijan welcomed the possibility of Iran’s mediation in the process,
but such mediation is not advisable for Armenia, as it will serve
as a precedent-Baku may later offer Turkey to act as mediator in the
negotiation process, the expert stated.

Referring to Turkey’s possible mediation in the Iran-West relations,
Sarukhanyan said that Iran does not need mediation, but can agree
to it in the hope of "diluting" the negotiations with the West and
complicate them.

As regards the sanctions against Iran, the expert said the sanctions
will not refer to gas and oil fields, as the West is not yet ready
to stop importing Iranian oil. In this respect, possible sanctions
will not affect the Armenian-Iranian energy cooperation.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress