Baku must start a direct dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh, Fyedor Shelov-Kovedyaev, Professor of Faculty of Politics, Higher School of Economics, Russia, told Vesti.Az.

According to him, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh mirrors that in northern Cyprus. Turkey cannot afford to disavow the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. If Turkey will do it in future is unclear. “However, it does not prevent the separatists’ from maintaining direct contacts with the international recognized Cypriot authorities. I think it is inadvisable that Baku set preconditions to Yerevan in connection with Nagorno-Karabakh. A direct dialogue is needed, and no one can convincingly argue against it,” the expert said.

“I think a direct dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh would be more effective, no matter what it is considered to be – a rebel region or a region of liberation struggle. In any case, the Armenian President’s statement suggests that Yerevan is unable to impose any solution on Stepanakert for the simple reason that it is really unable to. I interpret his words as follows: any settlement without involving Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan’s major partner in the peace process in impossible. Chechnya’s example shows that, whatever difficulties in the beginning, only direct contacts produce results,” the expert said.