Will the meeting between official Baku and representatives of Karabakh Armenians take place in Bulgaria?
Baku-Khankendi negotiations
“A potential meeting between Baku and representatives of Khankendi is being organized in a European country, possibly in Bulgaria.” This was announced by the historian Arif Yunusov, who lives in the Netherlands. Commenting on this information, political observer Haji Namazov said: “It is clear that Azerbaijan will not enter into negotiations with the separatist regime with the participation of international mediators without acceptable conditions.”
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“It is difficult for Azerbaijan to openly refuse the participation of American mediators”
Political historian Arif Yunusov told Turan that a meeting between representatives of Baku and Khankendi (Stepanakert) could take place in Bulgaria. According to Yunusov’s sources in European organizations, American mediators play a significant, though less well-known role in the Karabakh process, pushing for a meeting on neutral ground. While the Azerbaijani side is reportedly dissatisfied with the prospect of the meeting, it is difficult for them to openly refuse the participation of American mediators.
“The United States used various levers to put pressure on Baku and even proposed the idea of building a road through Aghdam. It is noteworthy that they called on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to comply with Baku’s demands. However, the success of the meeting remains uncertain due to potential stumbling blocks,” he says.
Yunusov points out that the Armenians now have a convenient excuse to avoid negotiations with Baku. “The recent arrest of Vagif Khachatryan in Lachin has complicated the situation, as he has close ties to Samvel Babayan, who is considered by Azerbaijani media to support a peaceful settlement of the conflict with Baku. Khachatryan’s previous support for Babayan complicates matters.
Chairman of the United Motherland Party (Khankendi) Samvel Babayan publicly announced the acceptance of the consequences of the defeat in the 2020 war. However, during the first Karabakh war of 1991-1994, he led the illegal armed formations of Karabakh Armenians, who, together with the Armed Forces of Armenia, participated in actions that led to the destruction of Azerbaijani settlements, violence and ethnic cleansing.”
“The meeting should take place on August 1 in Bratislava”
“The meeting between representatives of Baku and Khankendi was supposed to be held on August 1 in Bratislava. At least such a meeting was lobbied by Western circles.” However, the Turan agency notes that, as it became known to them from informed sources, the Azerbaijani authorities refused to meet with representatives of Khankendi.
Earlier, Baku invited representatives of Karabakh Armenians for a dialogue on reintegration in the Azerbaijani capital twice. But the Armenians ignored these invitations, after which President Ilham Aliyev stated that “they will no longer be invited to negotiations, and they must disband the separatist structures and obey the laws of Azerbaijan. Only in this case, they can count on an amnesty.”
From other sources it became known today that Baku offered the Karabakh Armenians negotiations in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh, but Khankendi refused this proposal.
“Without conditions acceptable to itself, Azerbaijan will not negotiate with the separatist regime”
“Information about supposedly upcoming negotiations between official Baku and Khankendi in Bulgaria appeared in previous days in Armenian sources. So far, no one has announced this in Azerbaijan,” political observer Haji Namazov commented on the news for JAMnews.
According to him, perhaps the last conversation between Antony Blinken and Ilham Aliyev last weekend was devoted to this topic:
“It is clear that without acceptable conditions, Azerbaijan will not enter into negotiations with the separatist regime with the participation of international mediators. And the message about the construction of a road linking Agdam with Khankendi fits into this scenario quite well.
What can be negotiated? It is clear that the connection between Khankendi and Armenia is clearly interrupted – from now on, all transportation will be carried out through the territory of Azerbaijan, not from Armenia. What will the Karabakh Armenians demand in return? It is still difficult to judge this.
The Armenian population of Karabakh has always had a maximalist approach to issues, but it is clear that Baku will not comply with them. But they can offer the Karabakh Armenians some kind of autonomous system of self-government – the organization of municipalities, for example.”
Namazov added that US mediation in this matter plays into the hands of official Baku:
“The State Department, as you know, welcomed Aliyev’s statement about a possible amnesty for the leadership of the separatist regime. In other words, the States accept the part of Karabakh, where the Armenian population lives, as an integral part of Azerbaijan, and it is normal for Baku to ensure its sovereignty over this part of the country.”
