U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s most important and sincere statement during her regional visit was that she admitted official Washington is powerless to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Richard Giragosian, Director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS), stated at roundtable discussions.

It would be right if Russia and France (the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries) made similar statements, as it is only the conflicting parties that are able to resolve the conflict. The problem is that they do not show common political will, the expert said. The progress in the conflicting countries to a great extent accounts for the progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. In this context, Gigarosian welcomes the democratic elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, which are held at a higher level than in Armenia, Azerbaijan and even in some of the U.S. states.

As regards the Minsk process, he stressed that it is designed to decide the fate of the territories under the Armenian side’s control and find the ways of making Azerbaijan leave them alone.

However, Baku is showing an all-or-nothing approach. Azerbaijan, following Turkey’s example, has recently been pursuing an aggressive policy, trying to resolve political problems by military ways. The growing tension in the region is playing into Russia’s hands, which, without missing the chance, is trying to deploy its peacemakers in the South Caucasus, Giragosian said.

The most remarkable thing about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is that it is the only conflict with the subject itself not involved in the settlement process. It is tantamount to Hungary and South Africa participating in settling the Palestinian conflict, Giragosian said.