Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Interview: Russia Responsible for fair Settlement of Karabakh Confli

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Interview: Russia Responsible for fair Settlement of Karabakh Confli

    PanARMENIAN.Net

    Interview

    Victor Krivopuskov:

    Russia Responsible for fair Settlement of Karabakh
    Conflict

    The Nagorno Karabakh conflict has been much spoken
    about recently. 2006 was declared the "year of final
    deal". In this view the opinion of a person, who was
    in Stepanakert at the very beginning of the conflict
    and is well aware of the history and development of
    the opposition between Nagorno Karabakh is important.
    PanARMENIAN.Net requested chief of the staff of the
    investigation-operation group of the Nagorno Karabakh
    Autonomous Region in 1900-1991 and presently President
    of the Society of Friendship and Cooperation with
    Armenia Victor Krivopuskov to answer a number of
    questions.

    31.03.2006 GMT+04:00

    How well is the Russian political elite informed of
    the Nagorno Karabakh conflict?


    Information blockade over the Nagorno Karabakh problem
    has been created in Russia. In general the Russian
    political elite is badly informed of the Nagorno
    Karabakh conflict. "Publications are few in number,
    not to mention TV programs. The situation with
    websites has improved a bit lately, but they do not
    change the whole picture.

    The Russian state media trying not to arouse
    Azerbaijan's discontent do not call things by their
    proper names and thus prefer to write nothing about
    the conflict. "Over this reason the major part of our
    political elite and the society have poor knowledge
    not only of Karabakh's present problems but also of
    the true causes of the conflict.

    A new generation of Russians grew up during the recent
    15 years. It means a new generation of politicians who
    are unaware of the conflict. I have many times heard
    people say that Karabakh is inhabited by Azerbaijanis
    and that Armenians are Muslims. People are unaware of
    the age-old friendship between the Armenian and
    Russian people, of the significant role the Armenians
    of Karabakh played 200 years ago in the liberation of
    Armenia from the Persian and Ottoman yoke and
    self-willed joining Russia.


    What is the role of Russia in the conflict settlement?


    I would like to believe that Russia deals with the
    Karabakh settlement not only as the OSCE Minsk Group
    Co-chair. Russia as no other party is first of all
    interested inn maintenance of peace in the Caucasus.
    Being the assignee of the Soviet Union Russia is
    responsible for the alienation of Nagorno Karabakh
    from Armenia in 1992 that took place through the fault
    of Bolshevik Russia and consequently for the fair
    resolution of the Karabakh problem.

    I also regret over the exchange of welcome telegrams
    between the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Turkey on
    the anniversary of Moscow Treaty signed on March 16,
    1921. "To put it mildly, it was odd to mark the date
    when the Western Armenian territories as well as the
    Kars region and Surmalu district belonging to Russia
    were conveyed to Turkey

    Everyone, who knows the history a bit understand that
    it was a hazardous agreement concluded without
    participation of representative of Armenia of that
    time in order to involve young Turks in the promotion
    of world socialist revolution in the Near East. As
    result Turks behaved with traditional eastern
    delicacy. They not only saved Sultan Empire from
    division but also received from Soviet Russia new
    territories and succeeded in smashing Eastern Armenia
    to three pieces. And now it would be appropriate to
    renounce the historical venture of Bolshevik
    predecessors and keep silent. By the way I won't be
    surprised if October 13 our MFA will celebrate the
    85th anniversary of the Kars agreement that confirmed
    the outcomes of the shameful Moscow agreement.


    In your opinion what can the Karabakh conflict
    settlement model look like?


    The conflict settlement model should necessarily
    provide for reasonable and bloodless approach
    proceeding from the true but not distorted history of
    the region with the complete maintenance of human
    right including the right to self-determination. As a
    man well aware of the history of Karabakh and as the
    author of "Rebellious Karabakh" book I want to believe
    in a fair settlement model, the fairest model that
    will bring people back to peaceful and friendly
    co-existence. But such model seems to be doomed to
    failure in the near future.

    The history will severely punish the politicians, who
    in response to fair aspiration of the Armenian
    population of Nagorno Karabakh, provoked and allowed
    bloody national collision between two peoples in
    Azerbaijan since 1988.


    Armenian lobby is active in the United States, France
    and other countries. How strong is the Armenian lobby
    in Russia?


    Judging from the development of the Russian-Armenian
    relations the Armenian lobby in Russia is probably
    absent. Even if it exists its role is unnoticeable.
    Despite the successful development of relationships
    between the two states the potential of friendship is
    not fully used, Armenians within the Russian public
    and political elite are not to blame for it.

    First of all because the notion of lobbying in Russia
    is still too young. Lobbying implies open contribution
    to the power bodies in taking favorable decisions
    excluding bribery. Unfortunately, today pushing of
    interests at any level in Russia has acquired the form
    of shadow lobbying. At that Russia lacks the law on
    lobbying and the attempts to introduce the bill to the
    Russian State Duma in 1992, 1995 and 2000 were a
    failure. Thus, with the transparent and public form of
    lobbying it's improperly to speak of the availability
    of Armenian lobby in Russia, the Russian politician
    considers. Armenians independently of citizenship are
    always potential lobbyists of Russia's interests both
    within the society and at the international level.

    "PanARMENIAN.Net", 31.03.2006
Working...
X