Ruben Mehrabyan: 'There is not even a hint about the corridor in the Sochi statement or informal discussions'

After the Sochi meeting, Azerbaijan continues to resort to border escalations, making ultimatums and demanding deadlines on when it should receive the 'corridor', but there is not even a hint about this in the Sochi statement, nor has there been in informal discussions. This was stated by political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan at a roundtable discussion organized by the 'Armenian Center for Democracy and Security' on the topic 'What followed Sochi, and what precedes Brussels: Is a new Armenian-Azerbaijani war possible?'

Referring to the Sochi meeting, Mehrabyan recalled that a third post-war statement was adopted there. 'This fixed 4 packages or sub-packages on this global issue—Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, which have remained unresolved for 30 years. It was also fixed that these 4 packages should be addressed separately from one another,' he noted.

He pointed out that it was decided to move towards the establishment of a bilateral commission regarding demarcation and delimitation issues. 'It is clear that this will be a long-term process, as it is the longest border in the region,' emphasized the political scientist.

To address the issue of unblocking communication routes, a trilateral working group at the level of deputy prime ministers has been created and is functioning, where this issue is to be resolved. 'This was inferred from the leaders' verbal statements,' he observed.

According to Mehrabyan, the third package involves humanitarian issues, the return of prisoners of war, and trust-building measures. Mehrabyan noted that the parties are negotiating, but the minimal necessary level of trust is not yet established. 'And with this statement, the mechanisms for solving these issues remain uncertain,' he said.

The fourth package concerns the actual issue of Artsakh. The political scientist noted that there is absolutely no mention of this in the latest statement. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship format is responsible for addressing this issue, but there is no reference to that either.

'After Sochi, however, it became clear that there is no visible process related to the creation of a commission for delimitation and demarcation. There is conversation, but there is no process. Meanwhile, Baku is continuing border escalations; after Sochi, there are casualties and injuries. Baku has begun making ultimatums, demanding deadlines for when it will receive the corridor. Yet there is not even a hint about this in that statement, nor has there been in informal discussions,' the political scientist said.