YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS. Well known analyst specializing in South Caucasus Thomas de Waal referred to the recent developments in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process. “For the past month Armenia has coasted on a wave of popular emotion and international goodwill, ever since peaceful protests forced the resignation of veteran leader Serzh Sargsyan and brought to power opposition leader Nikol Pashinian.

Pashinian, who is 42, has appointed a new government even more youthful than himself. He has also promised to crack down on corruption and clean up the old oligarchic system. A country that many had characterized as isolated, stuck, and completely dependent on Russia has confounded stereotypes and now looks dynamic—trendy even”, ARMENPRESS reports Thomas de Waal wrote in an article published in carnegieeurope.eu, adding that “all this promise and hope could be swept away if Armenia’s new government gets one thing wrong: its stance on the unresolved Nagorny Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, now three decades old. The tired negotiating process could certainly do with some shaking up—but not too much”.

The analyst reminded that the next day of his election as Prime Minister, pashinyan departed for Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) and insisted that Nagorno Karabakh must directly participate in the conflict settlement talks and sit at the negotiating table. According to de Waal, Pashinyan is sincere with the Armenians of Karabakh and still in 2016 he had announced that “There is no land to hand over to Azerbaijan.”

Thomas de Waal also underlined that the discussions that Nagorno Karabakh should participate in the negotiations is relevant. “After all, their homeland is the original subject of the dispute. They did take part until 1998”, he wrote.

English –translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan