Breakthrough in Astana is less probable, says Suren Surenyants

The final declaration to be adopted based on the results of the upcoming OSCE summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, will definitely make reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian politologist and blogger Suren Surenyants told a press conference today.

“It is out of question that that document will make reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, firstly because that conflict is under the OSCE mandate,” said he.

According to him, regardless what formulations that document will have, Armenia will not be able to put a veto on it.

“I am almost sure that Armenia no longer has any resources to put a veto on that document. Unfortunately, Armenia’s authorities cannot affect the content of that document, nor can they have so much political courage as to set a veto on it,” he added.

Meanwhile, he said there will hardly be any extremely pro-Armenian or pro-Azerbaijani formulations in that document.
“I think that the document will reflect the principles that have already become the topic of the statements by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the presidents of the mediating countries,” he explained.

Further Mr Surenyants said that a road map could possibly be presented in Astana, adding that it will not however be signed, because the parties have mutually-exclusive positions which diminished the probability to reach consensus.

“I think there is little probability that there will be a breakthrough in Astana or a document will be presented to the parties over the settlement principles,” said he.