Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media still on Wednesday that no meeting is scheduled to take place between Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Moscow.
According to some experts, the Russian official’s statement is a subtle hint to the fact that only Armenian president can engage in the negotiations over the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict settlement regardless of the fact both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are currently on a visit to Moscow to attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening.
Speaking to Panorama.am, political technologist Vigen Hakobyan stated Peskov’s hint is not in line with the stance adopted in the Armenian-Russian relations.
“I find it difficult to understand exactly what this means at all, since neither Peskov nor Azerbaijani president can decide who should represent Armenia in the Artsakh talks or in other interstate negotiations,” he stressed.
“At least, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have no such questions,” Hakobyan said, citing the recent talks between the Russian leader and Armenian PM in Moscow.
“In this case, I see a huge discrepancy in the actions of Peskov’s boss and his statements. Peskov acts more like a spokesman for the Azerbaijani president in this case. The Azerbaijani president has, perhaps, expressed such an opinion.
“I would understand if Putin himself had voiced his intention of holding talks only with the Armenian president, with Peskov commenting on it. But I see obvious inconsistency when Peskov talks about it, in fact speaking about the meeting of the leaders of two other countries and hinting to the impossibility of holding it since Azerbaijan wants to meet with Armenia’s president rather than its prime minister,” he noted.
The expert observes no hints in the spokesman’s statement. “I believe there is a violation of subordination in this case. I would like to ask Mr. Peskov if this is the case why Putin met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and in fact discussed interstate issues apart from the economic ones. There is an issue of subordination here,” he added.