PanARMENIAN.Net - The Azerbaijani side is highly interested in "what awaits Armenia in the upcoming parliamentary elections," said Areg Kochinyan, head of the "Armenian Council" analytical center, during a press conference.
Participants of the Armenian delegation in the Bridge of Peace initiative, held in Azerbaijan on April 10-12, presented the key topics discussed during the meetings.
"Let's be frank: at this moment, the biggest variable in the peace process is Armenia's parliamentary elections. If elections were taking place in Azerbaijan, that would be the variable," he said, according to 1lurer.am .
Kochinyan noted that there is already a substantial legal and political framework between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including a pre-initialed peace agreement awaiting signing and ratification, ongoing border delimitation and demarcation processes with established commissions, and agreements on unblocking communications.
"It is very important what positions the political forces participating in the elections in Armenia express toward this entire framework, because after the elections, issues of peace and war will essentially be determined by the force that wins," he added.
Associated expert of the Armenian Council analytical center Narek Minasyan noted that the Azerbaijani side conveyed a clear message that, in its view, Armenia and Azerbaijan are in the same 'security boat', facing shared regional challenges and therefore needing to preserve and strengthen the current situation, Panorama.am reports.
He added that there was a perception that the current level of relations and progress in normalization has created a certain security "immunity" for both countries, and without it, the risk of third-party intervention and broader regional war could increase.
Director of the Democracy Development Foundation Naira Sultanyan said discussions focused on three main areas:
"We discussed issues that concern us, obstacles in the peace process, and opportunities we do not want to miss. Humanitarian issues remain central to public attention. We had very open conversations, raising our concerns and hearing theirs.
We spoke repeatedly about prisoners and detainees. Many members of the delegation addressed this issue, stressing that it does not fit into the logic of the peace process. We also raised the issue of missing persons and expressed concern that the commission's work is not progressing at the desired pace.
They, in turn, raised their concerns, including victims of mine explosions - citing the figure of 432 - and more than 3,000 missing Azerbaijanis, referring to the 1990s war," she said.
The Bridge of Peace initiative aims to develop dialogue and direct contacts between civil society representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
This time, the Armenian delegation traveled to Azerbaijan by land, crossing a delimited and demarcated section of the border and completing all necessary border and passport control procedures.
Source: PanArmenian.Net
