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TBILISI: Karabakh Conflict Issues

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  • TBILISI: Karabakh Conflict Issues

    KARABAKH CONFLICT ISSUES

    The Messenger
    Nov 25 2009
    Georgia

    Polish political analyst on Caucasus issues Maciej Falkowski has stated
    that recently an intensification of efforts to resolve the Karabalkh
    conflict and Russian and Turkish diplomacy in this area have been
    observed. However it is premature to talk about some breakthrough in
    this process.

    Falkowski thinks that in the near future a document regulating certain
    aspects of the conflict might appear, but not a complex solution
    because the parties are not ready for one. The analyst thinks that
    the Armenian elite is not ready to accept the return of the occupied
    territories to Azerbaijan. They see this suggestion as treason and
    believe it could lead to a coup d'etat.

    The Polish analyst thinks that despite some coordination between
    Turkish and Russian attempts to ensure the opening of the border
    between Turkey and Armenia and Russia's position as a guarantor of
    peace in Karabakh, the two states still do not trust each other. There
    is no Turkish-Russian tandem, thinks Falkowski, because Russia does
    not want Turkey to play the decisive role in conflict resolution.

    The analyst thinks that this conflict will not be resolved soon
    because there are conflicts of interest between Russia and the
    USA in the region and neither wants to retreat. He suggests two
    possible solutions to it. The first is Azerbaijan regaining the
    Armenian-occupied territories, including Karabakh, by force, an option
    he considers unlikely as Azerbaijan is afraid of Russia's reaction.

    The second is one of the big states in the region deciding to
    resolve the conflict unilaterally, but Falkowski thinks this is
    also unrealistic.

    Falkowski suggests that attempts to resolve the conflict are being
    hampered by the distrust of the Armenian and Azeri people, and neither
    of the Governments of these countries wants to ignore this mistrust.

    The leaderships of both countries need the Karabkh conflict to keep
    their people under control, to serve their private interests, as
    they can justify banning demonstrations or arresting people by the
    threat of war in Karabakh. When there were opposition rallies in
    Yerevan the Armenian side started shooting in the Karabakh region,
    thus showing the opposition and people that there was a threat of
    further fighting and therefore the rallies should stop.

    Falkowski gives the pessimistic prognosis that there are no prospects
    for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict at all at the present time.
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