By AZE.US
The absence of fighting and the first trade contacts between Azerbaijan and Armenia do not yet mean the two countries have reached peace, Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute, said in an interview with Echo Baku.
Iskandaryan described the current relationship as a situation of “neither peace nor war.”
Officials from the two countries are meeting and commercial ties are beginning to emerge, he said, but the border remains closed and shipments pass through third countries.
He did not view the recent dispute over Gandzasar or sharp public statements as evidence that a previously steady peace process had suddenly stopped. In his assessment, practical steps toward engagement have long coexisted with confrontational rhetoric. The outlook, he argued, cannot be judged by any single statement or visit.
The discussion also turned to disagreements over historical monuments. Iskandaryan said questions about the origins and heritage of such sites belong with specialists, while the political use of history deepens mistrust. He acknowledged that politicized accounts of history also exist in Armenia.
Iskandaryan argued that Azerbaijan is seeking to consolidate the advantage it gained after the war in regional politics and relations. Echo Baku’s host challenged the idea that a weak Armenia would serve Azerbaijan’s interests, saying the region’s security requires stability in both countries.
On Russia, Iskandaryan pointed to its waning influence across the former Soviet space. He cautioned, however, against attributing every disagreement between Azerbaijanis and Armenians to Moscow. The two societies have their own difficult history of conflict, he said, and must address its consequences themselves.
Source: Vesti Baku.