Markedonov: There is a feeling that the diplomatic initiative has been given to "United Europe"

ARMINFO
Armenia –

ArmInfo. Considering Charles Michel's "big breakthroughs" on the grounds of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, many uncomfortable questions arise. Sergei Markedonov, a leading Researcher at the MGIMO Institute for International Studies,  Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Analytics, wrote on his Facebook page.

, the analyst writes.

Markedonov notes.

Markedonov writes: "Again, Brussels has become the main place where  the prospects for resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict are  discussed. On May 22, another round of talks was held in the capital  of "united Europe" between European Council President Charles Michel,  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan. How to evaluate the results of this meeting? Can we say  that the EU has come to the fore in the process of moderation by  conflict resolution? First, it is worth noting the high negotiating  pace. The first meeting of the leaders of the two Transcaucasian  states and the head of the European Council took place on December 14  last year, and the second meeting on April 6. At the same time, it is  worth noting that all three negotiating rounds ended not only with  general politically correct formulations, but also with reaching  specific agreements. Charles Michel called the May talks "frank" and  "fruitful". But the substantive moments are much more important. In a  statement to the press media, the head of the European Council said:  "In the coming days, the first joint meeting of border commissions  will be held at the interstate border, all issues related to the  delimitation of the border and how best to ensure a stable situation  will be considered." In addition to the issues of demarcation, such  important packages as the socio-economic development of the region,  the restoration of a full-fledged communication infrastructure and  the preparation of a peace agreement were considered. The problem, as  we see, is considered systematically.

Secondly, it must be noted that the EU is trying to assume the role  of the main moderator of the peace process. In 2020-2021 Moscow was  ahead of all other players on the negotiation track. And the  frequency of trilateral meetings as well as the promotion of  meaningful ideas were under its auspices. All this favorably  distinguished the Russian side. Now, the EU is much more often  mentioned as the organizer and inspirer of the cause of peace. One  gets the impression that against the backdrop of the Ukrainian  situation, Moscow has lost interest in the Caucasus region. Of  course, this view is superficial. In fact, the southern part of the  post-Soviet space is still important for the interests of the Russian  Federation. But if so, meaningful initiatives are needed. In the end,  it was Moscow that did a lot to minimize incidents both along the  state border and directly in Nagorno-Karabakh. It was it who created  a powerful foundation for both demarcation negotiations and a peace  agreement. But Michelle's May statement did not mention Russia.   There is no positive assessment or gratitude addressed to it. And in  the current context, it most likely cannot be. The same head of the  European Council became one of the frontmen of the tough policy of  Brussels and the collective West in general in relation to Russia.  The Russian Federation, the EU and the USA, which until recently  successfully interacted in the Karabakh direction, have now become  competitors in this part of Eurasia as well. Why, then, is there a  feeling that Moscow is letting Brussels go ahead? The expectation  that things will still not come to the final "big agreement", since  the contradictions between Yerevan and Baku are still great, and to  them are added discrepancies in approaches to a peaceful settlement  within the conflicting societies, especially in Armenia? Perhaps this  logic has its reasons. However, as you know, "a holy place is never  empty." And it would be better to take care of filling it ahead of  time.