Why are Armenia, USA and Azerbaijan in a hurry to sign a peace treaty? Sergey Melkonyan answers

The United States is already openly talking about its main goal to oust Russia from this region, Sergey Melkonyan, a researcher at the APRI Armenia, told Alpha News, referring to the statements US State Department spokesperson James O’Brien made the day before.

As reported earlier, at a hearing on Artsakh in the House of Representatives, James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, noted that Russian peacekeepers need to leave Artsakh after 2025.

“One of the components of Russia’s presence in the region is the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh. Yes, after the ethnic cleansing, Russia’s presence in Artsakh has decreased, but the West understands that this is not enough, because as long as there are Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh, this means that there are grounds for some of the Armenians to return, which will become the basis for extending Russia’s presence in Artsakh beyond 2025.

Thus, the West is now working to withdraw Russian peacekeepers from Artsakh by 2025, and Azerbaijan and Turkiye are working even more actively on this matter,” Melkonyan said.

James O’Brien also announced the possibility of concluding a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the near future. According to the US State Department spokesperson, the next few weeks will be critical to checking the parties’ readiness to say ‘yes.’

According to Melkonyan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the West are rushing to sign a peace treaty since elections are expected in Russia, the European Union, and the United States in 2024. In addition, the situation in Ukraine is stabilizing, which means that all parties are getting ready for negotiations.

“In this case, Russia’s resources will be freed up to some extent, and Russia will be able to strengthen its position in the region. Consequently, they are rushing to conclude this agreement, then put on the agenda the withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping troops from Artsakh, the withdrawal of the Russian military base from Armenia, then withdrawal from the CSTO, the CIS, etc.,” Melkonyan said.