The Fact of the Pashinyan-Aliyev Meeting is More Important than Its Result, Says Fyodor Lukyanov

International relations expert, chief editor of the magazine “Russia in Global Politics,” and scientific director of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Fyodor Lukyanov does not expect anything new from the upcoming tripartite negotiations in Sochi between Pashinyan, Putin, and Aliyev. According to him, the issues in the Armenian-Azerbaijani context, including the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, are far from being resolved.

In an interview with Armenpress, Lukyanov stated that in this situation, the meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the restoration of communications interrupted after the war is in itself more important than the outcomes of the negotiations. In this regard, the Russian international relations expert emphasizes the mediating roles of both the European side and Russia.

“It is difficult to expect anything new because the situation is far from being regulated, and the implementation of the agreements reached over the past year remains largely in a draft state. This is compounded by the recent border clashes, which demonstrated the precariousness of the entire situation. Therefore, I believe that in this context, the main issue is to restore the communications that were interrupted after the war that took place a year ago. Without the restoration of these connections and communications, it is impossible to move forward. For this reason, both the Europeans and, of course, Russia are showing activity. From this perspective, I believe that the fact of the meeting will be more important than its result,” said Fyodor Lukyanov.