Aliyev’s, Pashinyan's Statements Make Upcoming Meeting in Moscow Meaningless

Baku / 20.10.20 / Turan: On October 19, President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan gave extensive interviews to the Russian TASS agency.

One of the key questions for both leaders was willingness to compromise.

Aliyev and Pashinyan confirmed this readiness, phrasing it in different ways.

Aliyev sees a compromise in the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories around Karabakh and from Karabakh itself and the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan made it clear that Armenia can give up the territories around Karabakh, but Karabakh itself must remain independent. In fact, Baku and Yerevan have confirmed that their positions remain unchanged. The statements of both leaders sounded categorically, which does not inspire optimism about the outcome of their upcoming meeting in Moscow, to which they both agreed. Apparently, the third at this meeting will be Russian President Putin, who is supposed to play the role of an arbiter.

Note that immediately after the interview Nikol Pashinyan held an enlarged meeting of the Security Council, as well as a meeting with the extra-parliamentary opposition, where the situation in Karabakh was discussed. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that Pashinyan sounded public opinion on the topic of possible compromises on the Karabakh issue. -02D-