Expert: There are good chances for serious progress in the Karabakh settlement by the end of the year

Washington wants to seize Moscow's initiative in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian political scientist, Director General of the Institute of Political Studies Sergey Markov told Report commenting on the proposal by the US Secretary of State to hold a meeting of the next round of Nagorno-Karabakh talks at the level of Foreign Ministers in Washington.

"In due time, when Russia entered Syria and started a war with ISIS, the United States saw that not only Russia copes with ISIS, and also sent troops there and began to fight ISIS at the head of the coalition. Certain race called 'fighters against ISIS' was formed," Markov said.

According to him, seeing that the Russian mediation in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement can bring real results, Washington was jealous of Moscow. "This sort of a competition of peacekeepers may now start on Karabakh issue," the Russian expert said.

Speaking about the prospects of settlement, the political expert expressed hope for a solution to the conflict. "I think that there are good chances for today, that a very serious progress will be achieved in the negotiations on the Karabakh settlement already this year," Markov concluded.