The heated responses to the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting attest to the fact that Armenians have minimum expectations from the negotiations. This is what Director of the Regional Studies Center NGO Richard Giragosian told journalists on 4 April.

According to the analyst, even though the meeting of Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev in Vienna was official and can unquestionably be viewed as the first positive step, the more than heated reactions spark some concerns.

The analyst stated that there is no progress in the Minsk process. The return of Nagorno-Karabakh to the negotiating table is harder than it may seem, but there can’t be any progress without Karabakh. “It is necessary to return to the point where the process unfolds without third parties. The meeting of Robert Kocharyan and Heydar Aliyev can serve as an example. Why are we going to Vienna? Why not meet on the border and make real progress?” Richard Giragosian stressed.

The analyst added that if Azerbaijan believes that Armenia has not fulfilled its commitments in the summer, it might start using military force.