YEREVAN. – Azerbaijan has a much tougher position now than ten years ago, and this position is becoming increasingly tougher, Ambassador Ara Papyan, Modus Vivendi Center Director and political scientist, said at a press conference on Wednesday. 

In his words, even though a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani parties—to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict—can take place in the future, Azerbaijan’s stance will not change.

“As for the negotiation process, sadly, it’s completely unproductive because Azerbaijan has set a goal of a military solution to the matter,” noted Papyan. “The only progress during the [recent] meeting in Vienna is the talk about the creation of mechanisms for investigating incidents [at the conflict zone], but such statements do not yet speak about progress.”

Ara Papyan stressed that peace can be imposed upon Azerbaijan solely if the Armenian side strengthens its economy, puts an end to corruption, and spruces up the army so that Azerbaijan comes to realize that if it attacks, it will have no chance of success.