Armenian President sees no ground for peace negotiations

The President of Armenia has announced that the country will not resume peace negotiations without guarantees of security. According to Serzh Sargsyan, he is also sceptical about the possibility of deploying Russian peacekeepers in the Karabakh conflict zone. The above was declared by him in his interview to Bloomberg given on April 25.

"If no negotiations are underway, then how should Russian soldiers appear in Karabakh or between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani troops? I believe that the Russian army could appear there, at least, by the invitation of one of the parties to the conflict," Serzh Sargsyan has stated.

Meanwhile, he has noted that Russia "will not benefit from large-scale military actions in the region." "[For Russia], we are a strategic ally, and Azerbaijan is a strategic partner. Thus, they keep the balance. Both in Armenia and Azerbaijan, there is some public discontent. However, if Russia takes someone's side, the level of dissatisfaction in another country will become much higher, and Russia does not need that," Serzh Sargsyan has said.

In his interview to Bloomberg, Serzh Sargsyan has also said that Armenia "will not return to the negotiation process on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict without additional security guarantees."

"For Armenia, it is unwise to return to the negotiation process on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict without additional security guarantees, since at present, the situation is completely different [as compared with the period of time before the deterioration of the situation on the contact line]. While we negotiate, the armed forces may start combat actions, trying to resolve the conflict," Serzh Sargsyan has emphasized.

Let us remind you that at night of April 2, the situation in the Karabakh conflict zone was escalated. The parties to the conflict were engaged in combat actions with the use of tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, and aircrafts, which resulted in a large number of victims. On April 5, the sides to the conflict declared a truce; however, they periodically accuse each other of violation of agreements on ceasefire.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.