"A new attempt to reach an agreement without Russian mediation": BBC on Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting

The BBC has covered the meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

According to the media outlet, the Abu Dhabi meeting could be a new attempt by the two countries to reach an agreement without Russian mediation. According to the agency’s interlocutors, the opening of communications, border demarcation and other unresolved issues between the two countries will be discussed during the meeting in Abu Dhabi. As noted, Baku demands that it be provided with the so-called “Zangezur Corridor”.

Russia considered itself a mediator in this process, which would benefit from the opening of regional communications, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk was actively involved in the negotiations, the media outlet writes. Moscow wanted the route through Armenia to be controlled by the Russian border service. Yerevan insists that such a scenario contradicts Armenia’s sovereignty and that cargo passing through its territory must be checked. Pashinyan also did not want the FSB to participate in the project. Baku’s relations with the Kremlin have deteriorated significantly over the past year, and now they also do not want Russia to participate in opening communications.

“Azerbaijan apparently no longer sees a place for Russia in ensuring communication between the main territory of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan via the territory of Armenia,” said Zaur Shiriyev, a research fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Carnegie Center in Berlin.

The change in approach makes the compromises proposed by Armenia relevant, such as involving an international security company to inspect cargo. The parties are now discussing the implementation of such a project with Washington, with the participation of an American company, regional expert Olesya Vardanyan wrote. The US role in the process is also evidenced by the fact that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that a peace treaty between the two sides would be signed soon.

Expert Shujat Ahmadzadeh, for his part, suggests that technical issues related to the signing of the peace treaty, such as the date of signing, may be discussed during the meeting in Abu Dhabi.