ArmInfo.Yerevan's application to the OSCE Minsk Group in the context of Baku's proposals gives rise to a number of questions, allowing different interpretations, Tevan Poghosyan, Head of the International Center for Human Development (ICHD), said in an interview with ArmInfo.
On March 14, Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement:
"The Republic of Armenia responded to the proposals of the Republic of Azerbaijan and applied to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to organize negotiations on the signing of peace agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the basis of the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Helsinki Final Act."
"The best way to clear up the present misunderstanding would be Yerevan's explicitly and publicly explaining the redlines in the context of the Baku-proposed 5-point document. It is also important to understand if this application implies any changes in the Minsk Group's mandate. It is common knowledge that the co-chairs' mandate of 1994 deals with the settlement of the Artsakh problem proper rather than with Armenian-Azerbaijani relations," he said.
Given Yerevan's statement that the Artsakh conflict remains far from being settled, Armenia's application to the OSCE Minsk Group should, in principle, imply one more initiative within the co-chairmanship, which, in turn, gives rise to one more question: what about a settlement of the Artsakh problem, which is getting increasingly complicated in the course of time. And if it is a new initiative that is in question, it necessitates informing the public of the Armenian government's intentions, Mr Poghosyan said.
"Moreover, I have not so far seen a response by Armenia's foreign office to the recent psychological terror against the Artsakh residents that are freezing in this cold weather. I think their fate must be discussed as well, which is, in fact, the problem. Specifically, the Turkish foreign minister stated that the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan are the two states' business and warned other against interfering.
"One more problem is the present disagreements between the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states – Russia, the United States and France. We have seen these disagreements have escalated into confrontation," Mr Poghosyan said.