Former US Ambassador: Baku wants to impose its idea of peace on  Yerevan

ArmInfo. Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan  Richard Kauzlarich  believes that relations between the West and Azerbaijan will only worsen this year "due to the oppression of the opposition and Baku's sabotage of US and EU mediation efforts on Nagorno-Karabakh." "Russia and Iran are benefiting from this. Ilham Aliyev believes he can ignore Washington's pressure for reform and peace," said Kauzlarich, who served as the US ambassador to Azerbaijan in 1994-1997.

Speaking about Nagorno-Karabakh, the former ambassador said that he  does not see any movement towards real peace in 2024. "Nothing will  happen before the presidential elections in Azerbaijan in February  and COP29 in November. Therefore, the diplomatic process can begin by  the end of 2024," he said in an interview with Turan.

In his view, border issues are a distraction. "Azerbaijan does not  want to negotiate a "durable and worthy" peace agreement with  Armenia. Baku wants to impose its idea of peace," the diplomat  believes.  "As for the February elections, he continued, they will  not be different from previous ones."

"They will be neither free nor fair. Aliyev will win - it is  predetermined. I regret that human rights violations continue to  justify this," Richard Kauzlarich  concluded.