After the Four-Day War the Armenian Side should Adopt a Tougher Stance in the Negotiations

• 04.20.2016, 09:25
• Greta Avetisyan
•  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  NKR,  Analytics

The apparent military success in the four-day war, the fighting spirit of our soldiers and the high degree of consolidation of the Armenians at least let us expect that in post-war period our diplomacy will at least not step back from the achievements reached by our soldiers. After such an unprecedented growth of tension on the NKR-Azerbaijan border, of course, it is difficult to imagine that the sides will so easily be able to move from the military field to the negotiating table and continue negotiations.

The four-day war changed the situation. Once again we witnessed the destructive policy of Azerbaijan: failing the negotiation process, Baku resorted to aggression attempting to improve its not so profitable situation in the negotiating process with military actions. Aliyev with his maximalist desires, however, failed to solve the problem in this way.

Madrid principles or rather their Kazan version still remains on the negotiation table, but now it will be more than difficult to record progress in the negotiations. Starting military operations, Azerbaijan broke 1994 Ceasefire Agreement signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which was the basis for negotiations.

It is being mentioned that the oral agreement on ceasefire reached on April 5 is based on 1994 Ceasefire Agreement, which has been and still remains in force. If it is indeed so, then before returning to the negotiations over the principles, our demand from Azerbaijan and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs should be to go back to the situation existing before April 1, restoring the previously existing borders. In case the ceasefire agreement is no longer valid, a new agreement should be signed between the NKR and Azerbaijan, if necessary, a separate agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well. 

After clarifying and solving these issues concerning the Ceasefire Agreement, it will be possible to return to negotiations on the conflict settlement, in which the Armenian side should adopt tougher position than before the four-day war and to ensure the success of the talks demand that NKR return to the negotiation table. Without the participation of NKR that is a conflicting side, it will be impossible to record a serious progress the negotiations over conflict resolution. This is a fact, and it seems that this perception gradually strengthened among the Co-Chairs as well.