CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 117

LILIT GALSTYAN
ence in the region. What is more, as the author argues, the preservation of
a one-sided approach to mediation was more important for Russia than the
negotiations concerning the issue over Nagorno-Karabakh. 9
The mediation process of the NK confl ict also caught the attention of
Western analysts. For instance, Svante Cornell, a scholar and the director
of the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy,
and Thomas de Wall, a senior associate in the Russia and Eurasia Pro-
gram at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, do not blame
Russia for the unresolved NK confl ict. As such, Cornell claims that only
direct face-to-face discussions between the confl icting sides will serve as
a good ground for resolving the NK confl ict. 10 In a similar manner, Thom-
as de Waal argues that the major reason behind the continuing violence is
the lack of direct negotiations between the confl icting parties. 11
Based on the literature review, it becomes clear that the Russian ef-
forts to resolve the NK confl ict were unsuccessful. What is more, in the
literature it was frequently stated that Russia is satisfi ed with the frozen
status of the NK confl ict. Furthermore, the reviewed literature illustrated
that while trying to fi nd a peaceful solution to the NK confl ict, Russia had
always remained neutral towards the question over NK by preserving bal-
anced relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan. The literature also revealed
that there is lack of suffi cient research concerning the role of individuals
and institutions in the Russian mediation process over the NK confl ict.
Hence, this research aims to understand whether Russia was mediating
the confl ict or spoiling its resolution by doing a comparative analysis of
the Russian mediation missions during the presidencies of Boris Yeltsin,
Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. What is more, the study intends to
fi nd out whether Russian foreign policy towards NK has changed during
three presidencies or the neutral approach towards the confl ict resolution
characterized the three Russian leaders during their administrations.
1. Russian mediation missions between 1991 and 1999
1.1. Boris Yeltsin and the Institutional Dualism
When discussing the mediation missions of Russia in the process of
NK confl ict, it is worth to state that Moscow took steps for confl ict res-
olution earlier than any other interested player did. What is more, among
9
10
11
Tofi k Zulfaqarov, “The obstacles to resolution: an Azerbaijani perspective,” ,The limits of
leadership. Elites and societies in the Nagorny Karabakh peace process (London: Concilia-
tion Resources, 2005), 40.
Svante Cornell, Small Nations and Great Powers (London: Routledge Curzon, 2005), 48.
Thomas De Waal, Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War (New
York :NYU press, 2013), 204.
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