Amanda Paul: The progress of Karabakh talks depends on Pashinyan’s intention to change his approach

Meetings between the foreign ministers and the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are a positive step and they laid the basis for a “new optimism” in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Policy Analyst and Programme Executive at the European Policy Centre in Brussels Amanda Paul told European Bureau of Report.

"This can be seen as a change in dynamics. However, we are still at an early stage in the negotiations. Progress still depends on the political will of both parties to transform the dialogue into concrete steps, " the expert noted.

"In addition, the course of the negotiation process also depends on whether the new Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan intends to change the approach to the issue or will adhere to the old position of Armenia. This is still unclear, " Amanda Paul said.

Speaking about the efforts and influence of world forces to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Amanda Paul stressed that Moscow had the final say: "US president Donald Trump forgot about this region. He is interested in other things, for example, fight against Iran. And for Russia, the South Caucasus region is a top priority."