Within the framework of the meeting held in Gabala, we also discussed regional issues, taking into account the developments taking place in our neighborhood, said Narek Minasyan, an associate expert at the Armenian Council analytical center, during a press conference.
“Both sides agree that, on the one hand, the war in Ukraine, and on the other hand, developments around Iran, are creating more serious challenges for the South Caucasus, which has effectively become a certain island of stability and peace at this moment, while such turbulent developments are taking place around us.
At the same time, it was clear to us that after the attack on Nakhijevan airport, the concerns of the Azerbaijani side have intensified in this direction, and it was at least recorded that it is in the interests of both Armenia and Azerbaijan that these conflicts do not expand into the region and that the situation is resolved as soon as possible,” he said.
According to Narek Minasyan, the question of how these regional developments may affect the implementation of TRIPP was also discussed, taking into account that developments in the Iranian direction are still ongoing.
“The Islamabad negotiations essentially failed. There is considerable uncertainty about how the situation will develop and what consequences it will have for the region.
It was also noteworthy that the Azerbaijani side sent a rather clear message that, in their perception, Armenia and Azerbaijan are in the same boat in terms of security, and that regional challenges are shared; therefore, the current situation should also be assessed and efforts should be made to strengthen it.
At the same time, there was also the view that the current level of relations between the two countries and the achievements in the settlement process have created a certain security immunity for both countries, in the absence of which there would be a high risk that third countries could intervene and that this regional war could also expand its geography,” he said.
