YEREVAN. – The Armenian authorities were in a very difficult situation in the Karabakh negotiation process, when it is necessary to take decisive steps towards domestic political and social crisis in Armenia, David Shahnazaryan, a member of the oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC), told a press conference on Thursday.

According to him, the conflicting parties have already exhausted the limit of the period of delay, and are now forced to take drastic steps to resolve the problem. Shahnazaryan noted that the U.S., Russian and French presidents stated it clearly in the recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“The international community intends no longer to give time to parties to resolve the Karabakh conflict, since this problem has posed a threat not only to regional but also global security,” he noted.

According to him, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will sign a document on Karabakh conflict resolution soon, and if not in Kazan, then at the next meeting of the presidents. He considered it early to speak of the document’s content, but predicted that after the signing of this document, the sides will begin work on a final agreement on the conflict settlement.

He did not rule out the possibility that at this stage the parties may negotiate deployment of international peacekeepers in the conflict zone. Shahnazaryan stressed that the adoption of the final document on Karabakh conflict resolution will be painful for both sides. According to the expert, the positions of all three co-chairs of the Minsk Group are closer than ever in the whole period of negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since early 1990s.

Referring to Stepanakert’s possible participation in the negotiations, Shahnazaryan said that Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan “wasted the advantage of the Armenian side in the negotiation process and used it following personal benefits.”

“The incumbent leadership of Armenia faces more complicated situation at the negotiating. Perhaps this issue will be solved after the snap elections in Armenia,” the ANC member concluded.