More niceties, zero progress in third round of Turkey-Armenia peace talks, columnist Amberin Zaman writes in her article.

The talks, which began earlier this year, have not yet yielded significant results.

“The Armenian side issued an identical statement saying that the envoys had ‘reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions.’ Diplomatic sources briefing Al-Monitor confirmed no progress had been made, but said that the meetings will continue,” the author quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying.

It is noted that the third round of talks took place against the background of thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“Pashinyan has hinted at flexibility over Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh as it's known in Armenian. In a bold speech to parliament on April 13, Pashinyan noted that he was under pressure from the international community and suggested that Armenia’s options were limited and no matter how bitter a pill, the country’s leaders needed to prioritize peace in the interest of its future generations. Pashinyan’s words triggered a maelstrom among his nationalist opponents, who accuse him of selling the country out,” the author writes.

“Turkey has long signaled that an Armenian withdrawal from the occupied territories would be enough for the two countries to normalize relations.”

“The protest movement, which started in Armenia after Pashinyan’s April 13 speech, proves one thing,” observed Armenian commentator Benyamin Poghosyan in a recent briefing. “The majority of the politically active part of the Armenian society does not and will not accept any solution that will make Nagorno-Karabakh part of Azerbaijan under any circumstances or guarantees. Any efforts by international actors, be it Russia, the EU, or the US, to convince the Armenian government to agree to such a solution will inevitably trigger political destabilization in Armenia,” the observer quotes Armenian commentator Benyamin Poghosyan as saying.