Turkey must not be allowed to play any role in Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Richard Giragosian, Director of the Regional Studies Center, said, when asked by ArmInfo if Turkey may play any role in the process while the Armenian-Turkish protocols are still alive.
He said that Turkey is very active in the UN and Islamic organizations but not in the OSCE. The protocols do not mention the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. And so, Turkey's claims against Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh concerning the conflict are not taken seriously.
Giragosian believes that even if Azerbaijan has any plans concerning Nagorno-Karabakh, they have nothing to do with Turkey. The Turkish- Azeri alliance sustained the first losses exactly when the Armenian- Turkish process was started. It was then that Azerbaijan understood that the best way to undermine the process is to threaten Nagorno-Karabakh with a new war.
When asked if the Azeri population of Nakhichevan may leave the republic because of its deplorable condition and if Turkey can do anything to influence the situation in Nakhichevan, Giragosian said that Turkey guarantees the security of Nakhichevan rather than Azerbaijan.
Some politicians in Washington and Ankara have long been trying to link the problem of Nakhichevan with Armenian-Turkish relations. But this has never worked out.
