Tweet
MOMENT OF TRUTH IN THE TALKS
KarabakhOpen
03-04-2008 16:36:34
Judging by the recent Armenian and Azerbaijan diplomatic discourse,
the "moment of truth" has come in the talks for the settlement of
the Karabakh issue. The Azerbaijani diplomacy had the UN pass a
resolution which includes all the proposals offered by the mediators
but the status of Karabakh. Moreover, official Baku denies having
ever discussed the issue of status with the Armenian side.
The Armenian side claims the opposite. The main issue of the talks
was the status. The rest derive from it, the Armenian politicians say.
The stance of the Minsk Group co-chairs which insisted on including the
issue of status in the UN resolution is evidence to this. Logically,
too, if the status of Karabakh was concerned, the Armenian diplomacy
would have nothing to talk about with their colleagues.
"The policy of the government of Azerbaijan could be described as
nervous. They thwarted the meeting of the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan in Bucharest, violated the cease-fire on the line
of contact.
However, these actions will not lead Baku anywhere. There is a document
on the table of talks in which the self-determination of the people
of Nagorno-Karabakh is clearly set down," said the foreign minister
of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan.
Azerbaijan says mediation should not be carried out by the Minsk
Group any more, or at least the staff of the co-chairs should be
reconsidered. Baku thinks the United States, France and Russia have
a pro-Armenian stance.
Apparently, the pro-Armenian stance makes them insist on the return
of the Armenian territories, return of only the Azerbaijani refugees
to Karabakh, the deployment of peacekeepers and withdrawal of the
"Armenian force".
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are now in Bucharest for the
NATO summit. They will hardly meet during the summit. Before leaving
for Bucharest Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged a series of demarches
and accusations. In particular, official Azerbaijan stated that Armenia
"did not motivate the meeting of the presidents", and Armenia retorted
that Armenia did not need that meeting to motivate it. In other words,
they left for Bucharest not for reconciliation.
The summit in Bucharest will be the first after the declaration of the
independence of Kosovo and its recognition by world powers. In fact,
it takes place after the talks of Condoleezza Rice in Moscow, George
Bush statement that he will lobby the entry of Georgia and Ukraine
to NATO, mass disorders in Tibet, resignation of Fidel Castro, Cuba's
new line toward liberalization. A lot has changed since the previous
NATO summit. In fact, the global politics will change in Bucharest.
KarabakhOpen
03-04-2008 16:36:34
Judging by the recent Armenian and Azerbaijan diplomatic discourse,
the "moment of truth" has come in the talks for the settlement of
the Karabakh issue. The Azerbaijani diplomacy had the UN pass a
resolution which includes all the proposals offered by the mediators
but the status of Karabakh. Moreover, official Baku denies having
ever discussed the issue of status with the Armenian side.
The Armenian side claims the opposite. The main issue of the talks
was the status. The rest derive from it, the Armenian politicians say.
The stance of the Minsk Group co-chairs which insisted on including the
issue of status in the UN resolution is evidence to this. Logically,
too, if the status of Karabakh was concerned, the Armenian diplomacy
would have nothing to talk about with their colleagues.
"The policy of the government of Azerbaijan could be described as
nervous. They thwarted the meeting of the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan in Bucharest, violated the cease-fire on the line
of contact.
However, these actions will not lead Baku anywhere. There is a document
on the table of talks in which the self-determination of the people
of Nagorno-Karabakh is clearly set down," said the foreign minister
of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan.
Azerbaijan says mediation should not be carried out by the Minsk
Group any more, or at least the staff of the co-chairs should be
reconsidered. Baku thinks the United States, France and Russia have
a pro-Armenian stance.
Apparently, the pro-Armenian stance makes them insist on the return
of the Armenian territories, return of only the Azerbaijani refugees
to Karabakh, the deployment of peacekeepers and withdrawal of the
"Armenian force".
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are now in Bucharest for the
NATO summit. They will hardly meet during the summit. Before leaving
for Bucharest Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged a series of demarches
and accusations. In particular, official Azerbaijan stated that Armenia
"did not motivate the meeting of the presidents", and Armenia retorted
that Armenia did not need that meeting to motivate it. In other words,
they left for Bucharest not for reconciliation.
The summit in Bucharest will be the first after the declaration of the
independence of Kosovo and its recognition by world powers. In fact,
it takes place after the talks of Condoleezza Rice in Moscow, George
Bush statement that he will lobby the entry of Georgia and Ukraine
to NATO, mass disorders in Tibet, resignation of Fidel Castro, Cuba's
new line toward liberalization. A lot has changed since the previous
NATO summit. In fact, the global politics will change in Bucharest.