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Nagorno Karabakh Set Aloof From Other 3 CIS Conflicts

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  • Nagorno Karabakh Set Aloof From Other 3 CIS Conflicts

    NAGORNO KARABAKH SET ALOOF FROM OTHER 3 CIS CONFLICTS

    Azg/arm
    19 March 05

    The issue of participating in the Sukhumi meeting of leaders of
    Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno Karabakh and Transdniestria in April
    "is not included in the agenda of NKR Foreign Ministry", Arman
    Melikian, foreign minister of NKR, informed on March 16 commenting on
    the Russian mass media information aboutthe meeting.

    "Nagorno Karabakh has necessary technical means to inform the public
    about its plans", Melikian said. Interfax agency informed citing a
    "reliable source" that the leaders of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and
    Nagorno Karabakh met in Moscow on March 16. According to the source,
    presidents Sergey Baghapsh, Eduard Kokoyti and Arkady Ghukasian agreed
    on holding a meeting of the leaders of 4 unrecognized republics in
    Sukhumi in April.

    The authorities in Stepanakert have been keeping aloof from
    cooperation with the other 3 unrecognized republics of CIS. They well
    understand that the Karabakh issue clearly differs from the other 3
    issues with its historic, legal and political aspects. The world
    community concurs with Stepanakert in this respect.

    The OSCE Minsk group chairman, Dimitri Rupel, in his speech at the UN
    Security Council called Nagorno Karabakh an arguable territory thus
    pickingit out from among Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdniestria.

    The statement of John Evans, US ambassador to Armenia, at Berkley
    University on February 19 that "Nagorno Karabakh cannot be given back
    to Azerbaijan asit will be disastrous" is hardly accidental. Rudolph
    Perina, former US co-chair to Minsk group, said in Moscow in 2002 that
    Transdniestria has to be returned to Moldova, Abkhazia and South
    Ossetia to Georgia whereas "the issue of Nagorno Karabakh is
    different".

    President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan continuously repeats that the
    world community has to display unanimous approach to the secessionist
    regimes of Karabakh, Abkhazia, Transdniestria and South Ossetia and
    should not give way to the influential Armenian lobby in the US and
    Russia.

    Foreign ministers of the 4 unrecognized states met in Stepanakert in
    2001 and agreed on holding meetings once in 6 weeks. Nagorno Karabakh
    opted out of suchlike meetings after the Stepanakert get-together. The
    character of Nagorno Karabakh's cooperation with the other 3 republics
    has been that of procedural, i.e. Stepanakert would send its
    representative to take part in a presidential inauguration.

    The Karabakh authorities noted many times that they are in no military
    cooperation with the "peers" and will not participate in joint
    military exercises. Stepanakert point it out that the defense army of
    Nagorno Karabakh has no goal out of its borders.

    Nagorno Karabakh did not take part at the Sukhumi meeting of
    unrecognized states' foreign ministers in October of 2004. A famous
    Azerbaijani political scientist, Zardusht Alizade, said: "Nagorno
    Karabakh sees itself a member of CIS, UN and OSCE that's why it
    prefers staying aside from representatives of unrecognized
    structures".

    By the way, Tbilisi evaluates it positively that Nagorno Karabakh
    limits its contacts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But Georgia,
    certainly, does not speak out about this. Tbilisi did not vote for
    Azerbaijan when the latter pushed the issue of "Situation in the
    Azerbaijani occupied territories" into the UN agenda. It's surprising
    in view of Tbilisi's constant support to Baku in international bodies.

    Besides, Tbilisi did not condemn the elections of institutions of
    local governing in Karabakh in 2004, which came as something new as
    Georgia condemned all previous elections in Nagorno Karabakh.

    By Tatoul Hakobian
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