The OSCE Ministerial meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, late last week had been presented in previews as a decisive one for the Karabakh settlement. It had been assumed that the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides would come to terms and possibly come close to drafting a framework document. Western diplomats even suggested “keeping the fingers crossed” to avoid “the evil eye.”

Apparently, someone, after all, has spoilt it with his “evil eye”.

Top representatives of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and France and a senior official of the United States Department of State issued a special statement after the meeting on Saturday.

They stated about the “unconstructive position of the Azerbaijani side,” said Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, commenting on the statement by the Heads of Delegation of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries.

“The statement focuses on three principles for the settlement of the conflict, namely refraining from the use of force or the threat of use of force, self-determination and territorial integrity. The statement points out that there is no selectively approaching these principles. And Azerbaijan speaks only about territorial integrity,” said Armenia’s foreign minister.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, for his part, stated that the Armenian side raises such issues as the status of Karabakh, “although at this stage it is impossible to work on this issue.”

“First, it is necessary to solve the most difficult problem – the occupied lands,” said Mammadyarov, pointing out that the Azerbaijani side agrees to open all communications if five southern districts are returned to it. “This time it did not work, but we need to be patient and continue the work,” he added.

The statement also refers to “additional actions by the sides” that are needed “to reinforce the ceasefire” and “armed incidents and inflammatory public statements”, which increase tension and do not contribute to a solution to the conflict.

In fact, it looks like “freezing” the problem, at least temporarily. The mediators have made sure that Azerbaijan does not intend to talk about Karabakh’s self-determination, and Armenia is not going to withdraw troops without it.

What way out of this impasse will be found? At least the international negotiators have warned Azerbaijan against even thinking about a military operation.

Talks on association agreements between the three South Caucasus countries, including Armenia, and the European Union have also begun these days. Such talks between Brussels and Yerevan have opened today, July 19. Remarkably, however, Azerbaijan has officially refused to cooperate with Armenia within the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership program.

Before that, on July 16, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander arrived in Armenia. In Yerevan she stressed that the United States believes that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Interestingly, on July 17, Armenia’s Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan visited Iran “at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart.” The visit also included meetings with the Islamic Republic’s military and political leadership.

All these developments suggest that the regional countries and the states concerned have been preparing for any turn of events, including a swift one.