My impression is that the Armenian authorities do not want to talk about Karabakh, so that the societies of Armenia and Karabakh do not pin their hopes on them on this issue. The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, stated this during his press conference Thursday.
"And it will work. By not talking for a couple of years, to create the impression that they have nothing to do with that issue. ‘If you have any questions, discuss [them] with the Russians’; and this is done consciously," Kocharyan added.
"The Azerbaijani side will put [at the negotiating table] the recording of the speeches of the Armenian MPs, and will say that, 'Your leader [i.e., PM Nikol Pashinyan] accepts that Armenia has long recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The recording that your leader admits that never—even since 2016—there was a theoretical chance to discuss Karabakh outside Azerbaijan,’ and even questioned the Armenianness of Karabakh.
(…). I await the talks with great concern. I even wonder if they are needed now, as long as these authorities are in Armenia. You have to go and accept that negotiations will be held within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, including the issue of Karabakh and the Armenianness Karabakh will be on the table.
They will just talk about communities. We have put ourselves in this situation in order to justify ourselves from the accusations, and the whole negotiation process was sacrificed to that objective of justifying," the former president of Armenia noted.