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AND YOU, NAGORNO-KARABAKH? OSCE SUMMIT DID NOT RECONCILE ANYONE
by Gennady Savchenko
Novye Izvestia
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 6, 2010 Monday
Russia
[translated from Russian]
OSCE SUMMIT DID NOT PROMOTE RESOLVING OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT;
No progress was achieved in resolving of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
at the OSCE summit in Astana. Prospects of this organization are
not very bright because any compromise in it is achieved with huge
difficulties.
The 35th summit of the OSCE ended in the capital city of Kazakhstan.
It demonstrated that prospects of this organization were far from
cloudless. Any compromise there is achieved with huge difficulties.
The disputes were especially obviously manifested on the last day of
the summit. Discussion of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh became the
main event of that day. It was planned to sign a joint statement of the
so-called Minsk OSCE group (declarative document that only outlined
readiness of the parties to continue the dialog) under the aegis of
which fruitless Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations had been going on
for many years. Leaders of both conflicting parties (President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsian)
were present in Astana. If both politicians abstained from mutual
accusations, this would provide at least some grounds to say that the
summit did not fail. At least one participant of the event, President
of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev wished such outcome very much.
However, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan did not justify
the hopes of the hosts. Right at the meeting they exchanged harsh
statements. President Aliyev spoke about dissatisfaction with the
negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh. Along with this, he emphasized
that at negotiations on status of this territory his country would
be content only with one result, "in the framework of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan." In response President Sargsian released a
very harsh statement that was on the brink of diplomatic decency. He
accused Azerbaijan of an attempt of pressurizing and intimidation.
Having said that "Armenia gives up return to combat operations
in Nagorno-Karabakh as a tolerable option," Sargsian announced a
possibility of involvement of his country into a military conflict
should the Azerbaijani authorities initiate it literally by the
next phrase for the first time directly and unequivocally. The next
statement of the Armenian leader sounded even more outrageously,
"Nagorno-Karabakh is doomed as a territorial unit in the framework of
Azerbaijan." The worst-case scenario (departure of the Azerbaijani
delegation and refusal to sign the statement of the Minsk group)
did not happen. However, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry released
explanations that meant that negotiations with Armenia would not be
up-to-date for official Baku at least in the near future.
From: A. Papazian
by Gennady Savchenko
Novye Izvestia
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 6, 2010 Monday
Russia
[translated from Russian]
OSCE SUMMIT DID NOT PROMOTE RESOLVING OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT;
No progress was achieved in resolving of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
at the OSCE summit in Astana. Prospects of this organization are
not very bright because any compromise in it is achieved with huge
difficulties.
The 35th summit of the OSCE ended in the capital city of Kazakhstan.
It demonstrated that prospects of this organization were far from
cloudless. Any compromise there is achieved with huge difficulties.
The disputes were especially obviously manifested on the last day of
the summit. Discussion of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh became the
main event of that day. It was planned to sign a joint statement of the
so-called Minsk OSCE group (declarative document that only outlined
readiness of the parties to continue the dialog) under the aegis of
which fruitless Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations had been going on
for many years. Leaders of both conflicting parties (President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsian)
were present in Astana. If both politicians abstained from mutual
accusations, this would provide at least some grounds to say that the
summit did not fail. At least one participant of the event, President
of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev wished such outcome very much.
However, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan did not justify
the hopes of the hosts. Right at the meeting they exchanged harsh
statements. President Aliyev spoke about dissatisfaction with the
negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh. Along with this, he emphasized
that at negotiations on status of this territory his country would
be content only with one result, "in the framework of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan." In response President Sargsian released a
very harsh statement that was on the brink of diplomatic decency. He
accused Azerbaijan of an attempt of pressurizing and intimidation.
Having said that "Armenia gives up return to combat operations
in Nagorno-Karabakh as a tolerable option," Sargsian announced a
possibility of involvement of his country into a military conflict
should the Azerbaijani authorities initiate it literally by the
next phrase for the first time directly and unequivocally. The next
statement of the Armenian leader sounded even more outrageously,
"Nagorno-Karabakh is doomed as a territorial unit in the framework of
Azerbaijan." The worst-case scenario (departure of the Azerbaijani
delegation and refusal to sign the statement of the Minsk group)
did not happen. However, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry released
explanations that meant that negotiations with Armenia would not be
up-to-date for official Baku at least in the near future.
From: A. Papazian