ArmInfo. The OSCE Minsk Group's further activities hardly have any prospects, Alexey Malashenko, Senior Researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), said in an interview with ArmInfo.
"I consider the statements on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship made by Karen Donfried and Maria Zakharova in this context. This is nothing but intricate diplomatic swordplay in the present strained geopolitical situation. Nothing else should be expected at the current stage," he said.
On June 22, Karen Donfried, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, stated in Yerevan that, despite the broken off contacts with Russia, the USA was willing to continue cooperation in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group.
In response, Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed her doubts about the sincerity of that statement. According to her, if Washington and Paris really appreciated thee Minsk Group, they would not have disregarded the mandate approved by all the member-states.
In this context, Mr Malashenko believes that all the latest talks about the OSCE Minsk Group are an "artificial political agenda" both for Washington, Paris and Brussels and for Moscow. And this agenda enables the parties to convey certain messages to each other in the best-case scenario or, in the worst-case scenario, seriously damage the opponent's international reputation.
"In fact, fierce rivalry is taking place for mediation in settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani problems now. And the West is seeking to gain the upper hand in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. And neither party is capable of thinking of what the OSCE Minsk Group's activities could be. Clearly, it is causing damage to the peace process itself, and the lack of results is evidence thereof. And to resolve the current situation the mediators should abandon the policy of escalating the regional region," the expert said.