Author: Emil Lazarian

ArmInfo. The problem of Nagorno-Karabakh is not an exception in the general diplomatic gap between the Russian Federation and the West. A similar opinion was  expressed to ArmInfo by Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director at the  International Valdai Discussion Club,  Editor-in-Chief of the  Russia  in Global Affairs journal.

"Obviously, one cannot count on the fact that the usual diplomatic  contacts between Russia and the West, interaction on other topics and  issues will continue as before. I think that this was very clearly  stated by representative of our Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova,  emphasizing that in such an environment, work in any format Russia  and the West is impossible. In my opinion, in this light, the  possibilities for restoring the format of the trilateral  co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group are practically exhausted,"  he said.

According to Lukyanov, the OSCE Minsk Group lost its real influence  as an instrument for resolving the conflict even after the 44-day war  in Artsakh. As a result, in fact, Russia and Turkey take upon  themselves the moderation of the conflict as countries that have  mechanisms for direct influence on the development of processes on  the ground.

He noted, that after the signing of the trilateral ceasefire  statement on November 9, 2020, the OSCE Minsk Group did not  participate in any serious processes. And Ukraine and the subsequent  break in all formats of interaction between Russia and the West only  drew a line in this process. In this light, Lukyanov determines the  latest US statements about the need to restore the Minsk format by  the desire to bring down the current format of mediation of the  Russian Federation with a subsequent review of the deployment of the  Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh.

"However, given the key role and position of the Russian Federation  and Azerbaijan in this matter, the possibility of resuscitation,  especially the effective work of the OSCE Minsk Group as of today is  negligible. Even taking into account the presence of the Russian  military contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh, the current peculiarities of  Moscow's relations with Ankara, Baku and Yerevan hardly allow Russia  to maintain a favorable balance in the South Caucasus. This is all  that our capabilities allow us today," the Russian analyst summed up.

FC Köln have signed Sargis Adamyan. The versatile attacker joins from TSG Hoffenheim and signed a deal until 2026 on Tuesday afternoon. The 29-year-old, who will wear the number 23, will join pre-season preparations this afternoon and take part in his first training session under FC head coach, Steffen Baumgart.

FC Managing Director, Christian Keller said: “We are very pleased that Sargis Adamyan will be wearing FC colours in the future. Sargis isn’t just a great player, who can up the performance level in our team, but also a great person who is down to earth and loyal. In sporting terms, his pace, ability to go deep, his attacking one-on-ones, finishing and also his aggressive, sprint-intensive work against the ball are his key traits. The fact that he can play in almost every attacking position gives us even more room to work with as well.”

Sargis Adamyan said: “One of the main reasons for my move to FC was that I already know Steffen Baumgart and Christian Keller. Steffen was previously at Hansa Rostock as assistant coach and I know Christian from the two years in Regensburg. My family also wanted to return to Germany. Therefore, I am really happy that the move to FC worked out. I’ve already experienced the incredible atmosphere in the stadium here. I am really looking forward to getting to know the city and the fans. Now, it’s important to get fit as soon as possible and work towards the club goals with my team-mates.”

Sargis Adamyan was born on 23rd May 1993 in Yerevan, Armenia. At the age of five, he moved to Germany with his family. The forward was part of the academies at 1. FC Neubrandenburg 04 (2005-09) and FC Hansa Rostock (2009-12), where he then made his first appearance in professional football during the 2012-13 season. Through TSG Neustrelitz and TSV Steinbach, he joined SSV Jahn Regensburg and immediately became a key part of the team. He made his 2. Bundesliga debut on 29th July 2017 and went on to feature 66 times in the second tier, scoring 20 goals and setting up a further 15. The 33-time Armenia international played himself into a Bundesliga move and joined Hoffenheim in 2019. He made 53 appearances across all competitions for Hoffenheim, scoring 11 times and recording five assists. During his loan at the current Belgian champions, Club Brugge he made 16 appearances and scored six goals.