Baku-Yerevan differences hindering peace deal: ex-diplomat
Afshar Soleimani, Iran’s former ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, has said that several issues currently impeding the signing of a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“Moscow seeks to isolate the Armenian prime minister. That’s why he is in a rush to sign a peace deal,” Soleimani said in an exclusive interview with ILNA.
He added, “There are many issues in this regard that prevent the finalization of the agreement between Yerevan and Baku.”
The former diplomat said, “The fact that the Prime Minister of Armenia recently brought up the issue of signing a peace treaty with Baku on the Army Day can be seen as a message from Yerevan to Moscow and even Azerbaijan.”
He continued, “Pashinyan is trying to distance himself from Russia, but so far he has not been very successful. In parallel to these issues, Armenia seeks to lean towards the West in the field of purchasing weapons and also explaining security strategies. In this way, Pashinyan invited European observers to enter Armenia and prepare a report.”
He concluded, “At any rate, the sum of the mentioned issues shows that he seeks to establish a balance between Russia and the West in favor of Yerevan.”