Mediators and guarantors would be useful, expert on Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Sergey Stankevich commented on the statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that Azerbaijan does not need any guarantors for a peace treaty with Armenia.

According to the expert, if contradictions persist and there is a risk of renewed conflict between Yerevan and Baku, mediators and guarantors may be useful.

“Most likely, mediators and guarantors would be useful. However, it is difficult to insist on this condition from the outside. If serious contradictions between the parties persist and if there is a risk of renewed conflict, mediators and guarantors during negotiations may be useful. It is up to the parties to decide who exactly to take as guarantors. It’s impossible to impose anything from the outside,” the expert said.

Speaking about Russia’s role in this process, the political scientist noted that Russia is the most obvious mediator and possible guarantor.

“Russia is already a mediator in fact. Let me remind you that an important milestone in the ongoing negotiation process was the joint trilateral statement of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was signed in Moscow. Russia can surely continue this mission, and this would, in my opinion, be very reasonable.

In general, I would now bet on the ‘3+3’ format, that is, three regional powers—Russia, Turkiye, Iran—and three countries directly located in the South Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. The ‘3+3’ format resolves all conflict issues peacefully and, at the same time, acts as a guarantee that everything will be alright. It is the most feasible and promising format,” Stankevich concluded.