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OSCE Report May Turn Into A Headache For Armenia

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  • OSCE Report May Turn Into A Headache For Armenia

    OSCE REPORT MAY TURN INTO A HEADACHE FOR ARMENIA

    Azg/arm
    30 March 05


    Stepan Safarian, expert at the Strategic and National Research Center,
    thinks that the report of OSCE Minsk group's fact-finding mission may
    result in world community's attempts to solve the issue of neighboring
    territories separately, leaving the issue of Nagorno Karabakh for
    future.

    The Cooperation for Open Society called a round table on March 28
    inviting NGO representatives, politicians, political scientists and
    experts to discuss the report of the fact-finding mission.

    Safarian pointed out to the threats that Armenia may face in
    future. The impression Safarian got from the report is that all
    neighboring territoriesof Nagorno Karabakh but Lachin are out of
    control, something that Azerbaijan continuously claims. The report
    notes that the region of Lachin was inhabited under direct supervision
    of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The last fact, Safarian thinks, may
    result in manipulations in future. But the most dangerous thingthat
    may happen is that the neighboring regions can be viewed separately
    from Karaba kh settlement.

    Varuzhan Nersisian from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs almost
    repeated all the paragraphs of a March 17 press release by the
    Ministry, which said thatthe fact-finding mission refuted accusations
    of Baku made at the UN in fall of 2004.

    The report dispelled particularly Azerbaijan's claims that the number
    of inhabitants in neighboring regions of Karabakh is from 30 to 300
    thousand, that Armenia conducts a state-financed policy of
    inhabitation and that most of the settlers are citizens of Armenia or
    Diaspora. Nersisian agreed that the report "cannot be put aside" but
    added that it might be considered success for Armenia in the
    diplomatic sphere.

    Paruyr Hayrikian labeled the report "a shameful defeat" for
    Armenia. He asked the Foreign Ministry representative whether there
    was no Armenian at the Ministry to say "we do inhabit the territories
    and will continue doing so". Nersisian said that there is no lack of
    patriots at the Ministry but the issue is considered from the angle of
    international rights.

    Political scientist Aghasi Yenoqian hailed the report "an awful
    document". He posed a rhetoric question, "If we are not allowed to
    inhabit the territories, why did we take them over?"

    We have to explain to the outsiders why the Armenian forces took under
    complete control 5 and partial control 2 neighboring regions of
    Karabakh. Meanwhile, Yenoqian's meaningless rhetoric speech can only
    surprise.

    By Tatoul Hakobian
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