Ruben Safrastyan: No progress in NK conflict settlement till midst of 2012

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS:

The stakeholders of the Karabakh issue have taken a "time-out" agreed with the pre-electoral moods, Ruben Safrastyan, director of the Oriental Studies Institute told a news conference today, pointing out that even Russia, which is the most actively engaged in the settlement process, is also in pre-electoral moods.

"This year is pre-electoral in Armenia, Azerbaijan and the parties are trying to take a time-out. Russia, as well, on its part is not giving a new impetus to the process, taking into consideration the inner political developments", Safrastyan said, pointing out that the international community keeps under limelight the developments in the other eastern states that are currently more prior than the settlement of the Karabakh issue.

"Taking into consideration the created conditions, more probably it is impossible to expect any essential progress and change in the NK settlement issue till the midst of 2012", he said.