By Ivan Gharibyan

YEREVAN. - Another joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries once again indicated different positions of Yerevan and Baku on the international community’s stance.

Yerevan read out the President’s statement adopted at Deauville and commented on the content rather than interpreted it according to their wishes and objections. Meanwhile, the Armenian officials could not but see the main postulate of the statement: the presidents unambiguously stressed the necessity for peaceful resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

This appeal, obviously directed to Azerbaijan, the party to the negotiations, constantly issuing warlike threats, is the main cause of the joint statement. It seems that the world community is clearly aware who poses a threat to the breakdown of negotiations and the peace process.

However, the main geopolitical players, obviously, have a vague notion or rather do not want to see the whole essence of the Aliyev regime. So, Baku once again made play with the world powers. The Presidents are speaking of inadmissibility to consider separately any of the three principles of Helsinki Final Act, but Azerbaijan goes on doing so. While, the co-chairing countries demand from the conflicting parties to avoid any military solution to the conflict and take decisive steps towards a peaceful settlement at the Presidents’ meeting in June, Aliyev is singing old songs.

The reception organized on the occasion of Day of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic served as an occasion for voicing regular threats.

In response to the recommendations of the Russian, U.S. and French Presidents to prepare their populations for peace, not war, Aliyev again reiterated his dogma absolutely unacceptable for Yerevan, mocking at Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy and making Armenia’s participation in the negotiation process absolutely senseless: Baku rules out loss of de jure protectorate over Karabakh in any form. Just as Armenia excludes control over Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan in any form.

Over the past two years the positions of conflicting parties have become very clear. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has voiced willingness to make some territorial concessions in the security zone around Nagorno-Karabakh, of course, in return for de facto recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by Baku. It is the ultimate level of concessions by the Armenian side, the need for which has yet to be brought to the public. In response, Aliyev keeps on trying to return to the initial stage of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Neither Yerevan, nor Moscow, Washington and Brussels understand why the winner should make such a move.

All this results in an endless circle, the godfather of which is Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Unless geopolitical players are aware of the need for international isolation of the Azerbaijani authorities and a direct pressure on them, a situation is unlikely to change. For this reason, meetings of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan with the participation of mediators will go on being of preventive nature and pursue a single goal, in particular to prevent Baku from resumption of hostilities