“They’re coming to calm Baku down”
Member of the Sardarapat Movement, commander of the Shushi separate detachment Jirair Sefilyan doesn't think the meeting in Kazan failed, but the entire process of negotiations for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.
"It is impossible to reach any positive solution in this process because the document on the table, which is thanks to Armenia's disgraceful behavior, is not in Armenia's interests. This was fruitless to begin with," Jirayr Sefilyan told "A1+".
As for the meeting in Kazan, Jirair Sefilyan says everyone understood that it was against the Russian Federation.
Taking into account the fact that the U.S. and Russia are disappointed with the results of the Serzh Sargsyan-Ilham Aliyev meeting in Kazan, but not France, he said:
"If the U.S. and Russia are disappointed, but France isn't, we can understand that Europe is the most concerned about the restart of a war in the region, not to mention Iran. So, Armenia, Europe and Iran have the same interests."
Touching upon the statement issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which the ministry states that the Co-Chairs will visit the region to prepare for the next meeting, Jirair Sefilyan said: "They are coming to ease Baku's belligerence."
Jirair Sefilyan says this last meeting is different from previous meetings in that there were more talks about the placement of peacekeeping forces in the NKR.
According to Sefilyan, that is the reason why Iran and China have started showing more interest in the region, particularly the NK conflict. "The Chinese foreign minister didn't visit the region and only Armenia by accident. The placement of foreign forces is not in Armenia's favor and Armenia has its supporters in this regard. I think that will be prevented soon."
Commenting on the Armenian authorities' statements that Azerbaijan was to blame for the failed meeting in Kazan, Jirair Sefilyan noted:
"After the events of 27 October 1999 when the Kocharyan administration started to work self-confidently in the negotiations over the NK conflict, starting from Key-West, Armenia has always used the tactic to have Azerbaijan say "no". They have succeeded several times and that worked in Kazan as well. If the Azerbaijani president didn't say "no" in Kazan, Serzh Sargsyan would. He had to say that he couldn't say "yes" because Stepanakert is against it, but Serzh Sargsyan prefers not to be in a poor condition and slipped again."
