Armenia should fully realize new reality surrounding Artsakh - Stepan  Grigoryan

ArmInfo.The reason for Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovaev's new status, Special Envoy of the RF Foreign Minister for Armenian-Azerbaijani  normalization, is the desire to present it as a result of the USA and  France refusing to work with Russia within the OSCE Minsk Group, the  political scientist Stepan Grigoryan said in an interview with  ArmInfo. 

And it is only Moscow that considers the OSCE Minsk Group's  activities ended on February 24.  "Otherwise, the U.S. and French  co-chairs would not have come to the region to find a solution to the  Artsakh problem - let me emphasize, within the OSCE Minsk Group," Mr  Grigoryan said. 

"Russia is determined to contribute to the signing of a peace  agreement between Yerevan and Baku based on the Baku-proposed  principles for establishing Armenian-Azerbaijani interstate relations  and on Yerevan's response to them," Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for  the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated.   

On February 24, 2022, Washington and Paris broke off all contacts  with Moscow as OSCE Minsk Group co-chair. However, the real situation  in the South Caucasus does not allow intervals in negotiations. It  requires further consistent steps to establish long-lasting peace in  the region, Zakharova said.   

In his context, Ambassador-at-large Igor Khovaev will continue in a  new capacity of Special Envoy of the Russian FM for normalization of  the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

According to Mr Grigoryan, official cessation of the OSCE Minsk  Group's activities and dissolution of the co-chairmanship - the only  official international format mandated to deal with the issue of  Artsakh's status - is actually Moscow's desire not that of Washington  or Paris. In fact, the OSCE Minsk Group has over recent years been a  "thorn in the side" of not only Azerbaijan and Turkey, but also of  Russia. So it is Russia that is actually seeking dissolution of the  co-chairmanship by bringing accusations against the USA and France.  

"Igor Khovaev's appointment as Special Envoy of Russia's foreign  minister for Armenian-Azerbaijani problems is nothing but an official  reorganization of the international format of negotiations over  Artsakh - and it is not France or the USA, but it is Russia. And the  goal is to sideline the USA and the EU and gain an opportunity to  ensure surrender of Artsakh to Azerbaijan as part of its pro-Turkish  and, consequently, pro- Azerbaijani policy. 

"We, on our part, should fully realize the new reality. Otherwise,  Armenia and Artsakh are very soon going to face entirely new threats  and challenges," Mr Grigoryan said.