Crimea’s return to Russia to speed up Karabakh settlement – expert

An Armenian political analyst on Monday drew parallels between Nagorno-Karabakh and the autonomous region of Crimea, considering the statuses of both the result of major historical errors.
Sergey Shakaryants said he thinks that in case Crimea becomes an independent state or is returned to Russia that will positively impact the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict conflict, significantly facilitating the process.
“A historical fact was violated in both cases. Crimea’s handover to Ukraine resulted from an overnight decision, likewise Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] and Nakhicevan were handed over to Azerbaijan. Crimea’s independence or return will be extremely advantageous to Armenia,” he told a news conference.
The expert said he doesn’t expect any war in Crimea, noting that the country does not have forces powerful enough to fight back the Russian Black Sea Fleet. “The Black Sea Fleet alone is powerful enough to solve the problem; even if there is an intervention by Turkey. The navy will fight back Turkey’s [forces] in just 48 hours,” he added.
Addressing the Ukrainian crisis, Shakaryants said he doesn’t absolutely find it a revolution. He described the tensions as just an attempt to replace one class of oligarchs with another.