The Minsk Group process for Nagorno-Karabakh provides a framework in which Russia, the U.S. and France can prompt the parties not to allow sniper fire and other violations along the line of contact to degenerate too far, Magdalena Grono, Europe and Central Asia Program Director of the International Crisis Group (ICG) says in an article "The Not-So-Frozen Conflicts on Russia's Border", APA reports.
She thinks that neither Russia nor the EU is ultimately winning from protracted standoffs. The author says a real settlement to the ongoing conflicts in the post-Soviet area is impossible as geopolitical interests of key players remain divergent. "The "frozen" look of these conflicts is an illusion too, and regional links raise stakes. "Support for and cooperation with the conflict regions is a key instrument in Moscow's regional strategy. Constituencies in Turkey, meanwhile, have had strong ties with Abkhazia, and Ankara has backed Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh. Iran's re-entry into global politics has potential consequences for the region too," APA quotes Grono as saying.
"Russia or no Russia, a deal will always be hard to strike between the Georgians and the Abkhazians or Ossetians, or between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Many of these communities have lived on opposing sides of deep political and physical divides for over twenty years," the author stresses. "Neither Russia nor the EU is ultimately winning from protracted standoffs. And until such time as the geopolitical standoff between Russia and the EU eases, progress on practical issues can be made if the sides work harder to resolve their differences," she says.