Forecast: Sochi agenda will be limited to delimitation and  demarcation

ArmInfo.Based on the latest statements of Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, the maximum expectations from today's Pashinyan-Putin-Aliyev meeting is a  statement on the start of the process of delimitation and demarcation  of the Armenia-Azerbaijan borders as well as the formation of an  appropriate interstate commission. Stepan Safaryan, founder of the  Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs expressed a  similar opinion to ArmInfo.

On November 26, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will take  part in a trilateral meeting in Sochi with the presidents of Russia  and Azerbaijan. On December 15, at the invitation of the President of  the European Council Charles Michel, another Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting  will take place in Brussels on the sidelines of the Eastern  Partnership summit.

"I think that the prime minister has relieved concerns that some  other document might be discussed on the Sochi agenda. In particular,  it reflects Baku's desire to link the process of clarifying borders  with the signing of a peace treaty and, of course, the resolution of  the Artsakh problem. Moscow will not be able to link all these  issues: the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group with a trilateral format,  even if it itself has such a desire, since it will meet resistance  from the other co-chairing countries, "he stressed.

According to the analyst, the latter puts on the negotiating table  the only possible document providing for the clarification and  delimitation of the so-called "disputed" sections of the border  between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The latter leaves Aliyev with the  only alternative either to agree to the agenda, to which Pashinyan  has already voiced his consent, or to leave Sochi with nothing.  

"The Kremlin's statement specifically mentions that in Sochi the  parties will discuss the restoration of trade, economic and transport  ties.  In my opinion, in this case, we are talking about the  implementation of the trilateral statement of January 11 of this  year. A statement in which, as in the statement of January 9, 2020,  there is no word about the corridor that is so coveted for  Azerbaijan. If we add to this the last statements of the Deputy Prime  Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk and the statement  made yesterday by official representative of the Russian Foreign  Ministry Maria Zakharova on the unconditional preservation of the  sovereignty of countries over the transport communications passing  through their territory in the event of their unblocking, the Sochi  agenda will become even clearer and more explicit, "Safaryan summed  up.