Medvedev succeeded in easing the tension, says Giro Manoyan

The main objective of the recent trilateral meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents initiated by their Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev was to some extent "ease the atmosphere," Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau's Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Kiro Manoyan told a press conference today.

According to him the atmosphere between the Armenian and Azerbaijani relations had reached a high level of tension due to the statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and some of the statements Armenia's president Serzh Sargsyan made in response, as well as due to the ceasefire violations that frequently take place in the recent months.

"Medvedev succeeded in doing so," said Mr Manoyan, adding that the meeting in Astrakhan gave nothing else. Even more, there are no grounds to have any expectations from the December meeting to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

According to Mr Manoyan, in a best-case scenario, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) may at the end of the year come up with a statement over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, by reaffirming the principles of the settlement of the conflict.

In an October 27 meeting brokered by Russia in Astrakhan Mr Sargsyan and Mr Aliyev reaffirmed the provisions of the declaration adopted on November 2, 2008 in Meiendorf, Russia, and underscored that additional steps are necessary to be taken to strengthen the ceasefire regime and mutual trust in the military sphere.

The two presidents also signed a declaration to exchange prisoners of war and return the corpses of soldiers and civilians killed on the line of contact.

Further Mr Manoyan said that Turkey continues linking the settlement of the Karabakh conflict to the normalization of the Armenia-Turkey relations - something that is "clear for all, including the US."

According to him, this is another reason Armenia should withdraw its signature from the Armenia-Turkey Protocols.

Speaking about the agreement reached between Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev to swap prisoners of war and repatriated the bodies of all those killed on the line of contact, Giro Manoyan said that Azerbaijan will perhaps be committed to its pledge only to show to the world that there is some progress in the talks process.