YEREVAN. - Armenia’s positions in the Karabakh peace process are currently stronger than in the past, political analyst Richard Giragosian said in an interview to the Zhamanak (The Times) daily.

“Honestly, currently Armenia holds rather strong positions in the Karabakh peace process, much stronger than in the past” Giragosian added. “It seems that the opinion of [OSCE] Minsk Group and my personal opinion becomes a reality: Nagorno-Karabakh will never be returned to Azerbaijan. They try to give Azerbaijan an opportunity to win something in the negotiation process, at the same time, preventing it from having any goals in NK [Nagorno-Karabakh].”

Giragosian stressed that Azerbaijan is of strategic importance to the West. In the last decade it serves solely as a source of natural gas and oil. However, today 72% of military cargo transportation from U. S. to Afghanistan is carried out via Azerbaijan. This, as well as Iran issue, is new strategic reality, political analyst added.