ArmInfo. The problem of Nagorno-Karabakh is not an exception in the general diplomatic gap between the Russian Federation and the West. A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director at the International Valdai Discussion Club, Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal.
"Obviously, one cannot count on the fact that the usual diplomatic contacts between Russia and the West, interaction on other topics and issues will continue as before. I think that this was very clearly stated by representative of our Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, emphasizing that in such an environment, work in any format Russia and the West is impossible. In my opinion, in this light, the possibilities for restoring the format of the trilateral co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group are practically exhausted," he said.
According to Lukyanov, the OSCE Minsk Group lost its real influence as an instrument for resolving the conflict even after the 44-day war in Artsakh. As a result, in fact, Russia and Turkey take upon themselves the moderation of the conflict as countries that have mechanisms for direct influence on the development of processes on the ground.
He noted, that after the signing of the trilateral ceasefire statement on November 9, 2020, the OSCE Minsk Group did not participate in any serious processes. And Ukraine and the subsequent break in all formats of interaction between Russia and the West only drew a line in this process. In this light, Lukyanov determines the latest US statements about the need to restore the Minsk format by the desire to bring down the current format of mediation of the Russian Federation with a subsequent review of the deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh.
"However, given the key role and position of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan in this matter, the possibility of resuscitation, especially the effective work of the OSCE Minsk Group as of today is negligible. Even taking into account the presence of the Russian military contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh, the current peculiarities of Moscow's relations with Ankara, Baku and Yerevan hardly allow Russia to maintain a favorable balance in the South Caucasus. This is all that our capabilities allow us today," the Russian analyst summed up.