Epress.am News from Armenia
Today there is a need to consult with various parties and persuade the South Caucasus countries that the contract to extend the term of the Russian military base in Armenia does not represent a threat to them, said EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby.
“This is a bilateral issue between Russia and Armenia,” he stressed once again, reports Kommersant.
“We need to consider the broader context of military capabilities in the Caucasus. It’s not surprising, for example, Armenia’s concern today regarding Azerbaijan’s large-scale military spending. If the parties take measures and countermeasures, it could eventually lower the threshold for using force, which would be very dangerous and tragic. We cannot allow the possibility of a military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Semneby.
Asked whether extending the term of the Russian base in Armenia by 49 years means that the status quo will be maintained in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the EU Special Representative said, “It would be tragic if the Karabakh conflict was not resolved for another 40 years.
“It’s already taking too long; it presents a threat to the countries in the region: because the conflict doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s necessary to preserve the monitoring regime along the line of contact, where we have seen incidents and exchange of fire in the last few months. Truce, of course, doesn’t solve the problem; however, it contributes to the normalization of the negotiation process.”