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APPROACHING KARABAKH FROM THREE DIRECTIONS
by Nikolai Filchenko
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 7, 2008 Friday
Russia
Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan sign a joint declaration
PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, ARMENIA, AND AZERBAIJAN DISCUSSED
NAGORNO-KARABAKH; Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
discussed Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
Dmitry Medvedev, Serj Sargsjan, and Ilham Aliyev signed a joint
declaration on Nagorno-Karabakh. It became the first document since
1994 leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed together. Observers
say meanwhile that this was all Moscow's diplomacy accomplished.
Preparations for the trilateral summit began almost immediately after
the Five Day War with Georgia that badly damaged Russia's image of a
peacekeeper in the eyes of the international community. A week after
recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (on September 2), President
Dmitry Medvedev met with Sargsjan in Sochi and discussed the idea of
a Karabakh summit in Russia with him. Medvedev called Aliyev in Baku
several days after that and informed him of the idea. Details of the
summit were discussed during Aliyev's visit to Moscow and Medvedev's
own trip to Armenia in September.
The summit took place in Castle Maiendorf near Moscow. The negotiations
resulted in the trilateral declaration which Russia appraised as "a
document of paramount importance". According to Russian Chairman of
the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov, this was the first agreement
the concerned parties signed after 1994.
Signatories pledge the resolve "to facilitate improvement of the
situation through political settlement of the Karabakh conflict on
the basis of the international law." They agree that "accomplishment
of peaceful settlement should be accompanied y legally binding
international guarantees" and emphasize that "presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia decided to continue efforts aimed at political settlement
of the conflict."
The declaration caused a great deal of comments in Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Recognizing importance of the signing, observers in Yerevan
and Baku found numerous faults with the document. Azerbaijani political
scientist Vafa Guluzade called it "a pointless document" that committed
signatories to nothing. Independent expert Rasim Musabekov emphasized
the absence of the non-use of force clause in the document.
Armenian observers meanwhile decided that the document recognized
existence of sovereign Nagorno-Karabakh. "Two presidents pledge
to abide by the international law. The birth, proclamation,
and existence of Artsakh corresponds to it," political scientist
Levon Melik-Shakhnazarjan said. Speaking of the shortcomings of the
document, Melik-Shakhnazarjan pointed out that it did not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh as a concerned party.
by Nikolai Filchenko
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 7, 2008 Friday
Russia
Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan sign a joint declaration
PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, ARMENIA, AND AZERBAIJAN DISCUSSED
NAGORNO-KARABAKH; Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
discussed Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
Dmitry Medvedev, Serj Sargsjan, and Ilham Aliyev signed a joint
declaration on Nagorno-Karabakh. It became the first document since
1994 leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed together. Observers
say meanwhile that this was all Moscow's diplomacy accomplished.
Preparations for the trilateral summit began almost immediately after
the Five Day War with Georgia that badly damaged Russia's image of a
peacekeeper in the eyes of the international community. A week after
recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (on September 2), President
Dmitry Medvedev met with Sargsjan in Sochi and discussed the idea of
a Karabakh summit in Russia with him. Medvedev called Aliyev in Baku
several days after that and informed him of the idea. Details of the
summit were discussed during Aliyev's visit to Moscow and Medvedev's
own trip to Armenia in September.
The summit took place in Castle Maiendorf near Moscow. The negotiations
resulted in the trilateral declaration which Russia appraised as "a
document of paramount importance". According to Russian Chairman of
the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov, this was the first agreement
the concerned parties signed after 1994.
Signatories pledge the resolve "to facilitate improvement of the
situation through political settlement of the Karabakh conflict on
the basis of the international law." They agree that "accomplishment
of peaceful settlement should be accompanied y legally binding
international guarantees" and emphasize that "presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia decided to continue efforts aimed at political settlement
of the conflict."
The declaration caused a great deal of comments in Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Recognizing importance of the signing, observers in Yerevan
and Baku found numerous faults with the document. Azerbaijani political
scientist Vafa Guluzade called it "a pointless document" that committed
signatories to nothing. Independent expert Rasim Musabekov emphasized
the absence of the non-use of force clause in the document.
Armenian observers meanwhile decided that the document recognized
existence of sovereign Nagorno-Karabakh. "Two presidents pledge
to abide by the international law. The birth, proclamation,
and existence of Artsakh corresponds to it," political scientist
Levon Melik-Shakhnazarjan said. Speaking of the shortcomings of the
document, Melik-Shakhnazarjan pointed out that it did not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh as a concerned party.