Karabakh and the Middle East: ‘Negotiations and Other Blah-Blah’s’

The long and totally senseless Karabakh conflict settlement process is similar to the Middle East settlement process, said Konstantin Krylov, chief editor of the Russian news site APN (Agency of Political News), in an interview with the Baku-based news source Zerkalo.

“The situation is very similar: there are two parties whose mutual claims, in fact, are irreconcilable, and there is a third party, outside the conflict, that traditionally supports one side, but is not intent on spoiling relations with the other [side], with which it has economic ties.

“In the case of the Middle East conflict, the third side is the US; in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, it’s Russia. In both cases, the third partner offers a relatively peaceful preservation of the status quo.

“‘They have seized part of your territory, you don’t accept that, well let’s freeze the situation’.” The situation is usually frozen by occasional “negotiations” and in the context of other “blah, blah, blah”s,” he said.