Lavrov Indicates There is a Window of Opportunity for the Status of Artsakh: Minasian

Former Ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican, Mikael Minasian, writes on his Telegram channel: “Two days ago, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov announced: ‘The status of Nagorno-Karabakh still needs to be resolved, but for that, the OSCE Minsk Group should ensure the coexistence of Armenians and Azerbaijanis side by side. In a year or two, if we can ensure such a life, all issues related to the status will be resolved much more easily.’”

It should be noted that this is the first time since the war that the issue of the future status of Artsakh is raised at such a high level. However, what is crucial is that Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia have not commented on this statement in any way. From this, we can draw two conclusions. First, there are some agreements in which Nikol, as a ‘mentally’ ill person in negotiations, has no subjectivity, and second, Lavrov shows that there is a window of opportunity for the status of Artsakh.

Here, it is important to understand that both the timing of Lavrov raising this thesis and the absence of a response from the Armenian side emphasize that this decision does not imply Nikol’s participation in its formulation. This is a nod to Armenia's future government.

Meanwhile, Nikol, through Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan, is close to a final agreement with Aliyev regarding the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian sovereign territory just days before the elections. The arguments he has raised during negotiations are as follows: any other government of Armenia would be forced, under international pressure, to withdraw the forces, and by keeping me as a partner, you will receive a blank check to sign any document after the elections and to fulfill all verbal agreements that go beyond the November 9 agreement.”