The ongoing status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not in Russia’s interests, Alexander Dugin, a Russian political analyst and the chairman of the Center for Geopolitical Expertise, told APA's Moscow correspondent.
The political analyst said he believes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict hinders the strengthening of cooperation between Moscow and Baku.
"But Russia is a peacekeeper in this conflict, and the current situation does not satisfy Moscow. There is no military solution to this conflict,” he added.
Speaking about possible ways of resolving the conflict, Dugin stressed the importance of taking steps forward in the negotiation process. "Of course, Armenia should first return the five occupied district. After that, the negotiations should be resumed,” he said.
Dugin stressed that Russia and the whole international community recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
"Though Armenia is in control of Karabakh today, Russia and the whole international community recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which is growing in strength. The balance of power is changing in the region," he added.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.
A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory which includes Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.
The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.
Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the CSCE (OSCE after the Budapest summit held in December 1994) Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.
Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, the US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.
Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh.
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