Russian analyst slams Armenia's reluctance to negotiate peace with Azerbaijan

Director General of Russia’s Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies, political analyst Igor Korotchenko has criticised Armenia for its perceived unwillingness to negotiate a fair peace with Azerbaijan.

Korotchenko made these remarks for the local media on the sidelines of the 2nd Shusha Global Media Forum themed “Unmasking False Narratives: Confronting Disinformation”, Caliber.Az reports.

He pointed out that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declined to meet Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a recent global event in the UK, illustrating what he described as Armenia’s duplicity and reluctance to agree to a peace treaty based on equitable principles laid out by President Aliyev.

Korotchenko highlighted external influences, suggesting that countries like France are attempting to hinder the process of preparing and finalizing a peace agreement. France aims to supply Armenia with significant military equipment, potentially transforming it into a new source of regional instability.

Despite the challenges, Korotchenko expressed confidence in Azerbaijani diplomacy's ability to achieve its objectives.

He emphasised the importance of a peace treaty for all parties involved, noting Russia’s expectation for the document's signing.

“We hope that this can occur by the end of this year, possibly in November. However, Pashinyan’s current stance, unfortunately, does not provide much optimism. It is crucial to compel Yerevan to fulfill its obligations as outlined in paragraph 9 of the November 10, 2020 trilateral statement,” Korotchenko concluded.