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NAGORNO KARABAKH RECOGNISES ABKHAZIA
The Messenger
March 10 2010
Georgia
Armenian and Russian media outlets have recently reported that the
unrecognised 'Nagorno Karabakh Republic' (NKR) has recognised Abkhazia
as an independent state. Representatives of the Georgian Government see
this as rather a joke. One unrecognised entity has recognised another,
so what? This is meaningless. However the Georgian population and some
opposition members have reacted angrily to the NKR's declaration,
as it is understood that it would not take such a decision without
the consent of Yerevan.
The newspaper Asaval-Dasavali comments that neither Bagapsh nor
Kokoity takes any serious decisions without Moscow's consent.
Similarly the Karabakh leadership does not take any decisions without
Yerevan's endorsement. What is particularly annoying to Georgians is
that this declaration has come just after the Georgian President has
hosted his Armenian counterpart in Batumi and the Larsi checkpoint has
been reopened, to the great satisfaction of the Armenian side. The
popular view is that Georgia has taken Armenia's interests into
consideration but it seems Armenia does not do the same in return.
Opposition members are particularly critical of Saakashvili for
putting the country in this position.
The report that Abkhazia has been recognised by Karabakh has not been
officially confirmed. The outlets saying this are quoting the so-called
Foreign Relations Committee Chairman of the Karabakh Parliament Vargam
Atanesian, who has allegedly said that so-called Karabakh President
Bako Saakian's presence at the inauguration of so-called Abkhazian
President Bagapsh is a confirmation of this recognition and in the near
future Stepanakert and Sokhumi will establish diplomatic relations.
Georgian Minister of Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili has called the
reports misinformation. Political analyst Mamuka Areshidze also thinks
that an oral statement not confirmed by a document has no meaning at
all. He also doubts that the Armenian leadership would allow such
a thing to happen. If the report is just a vague warning we should
analyse who it is targeted at, but if the report is true Tbilisi will
need to clear the matter up with Yerevan. Maybe misinformation has
been deliberately put out to see what Georgia's reaction would be,
but if the report is true Moscow will be the main beneficiary of the
NKR's action, because it will help it further its divide and rule
policy, as if it needs any more help.
Some analysts think that Russia actually wanted to keep the recently
reopened Larsi checkpoint closed, as this made it a source of potential
confrontation between Armenia and Georgia. In the event of such a
conflict Russia would have even more opportunities to intervene and
chop up the territories of its neighbours. All this might explain
Georgia's desire to reopen it, but you can only reopen the checkpoint
once. NKR recognising Abkhazia may be nonsense, but there is such a
thing as dangerous nonsense.
The Messenger
March 10 2010
Georgia
Armenian and Russian media outlets have recently reported that the
unrecognised 'Nagorno Karabakh Republic' (NKR) has recognised Abkhazia
as an independent state. Representatives of the Georgian Government see
this as rather a joke. One unrecognised entity has recognised another,
so what? This is meaningless. However the Georgian population and some
opposition members have reacted angrily to the NKR's declaration,
as it is understood that it would not take such a decision without
the consent of Yerevan.
The newspaper Asaval-Dasavali comments that neither Bagapsh nor
Kokoity takes any serious decisions without Moscow's consent.
Similarly the Karabakh leadership does not take any decisions without
Yerevan's endorsement. What is particularly annoying to Georgians is
that this declaration has come just after the Georgian President has
hosted his Armenian counterpart in Batumi and the Larsi checkpoint has
been reopened, to the great satisfaction of the Armenian side. The
popular view is that Georgia has taken Armenia's interests into
consideration but it seems Armenia does not do the same in return.
Opposition members are particularly critical of Saakashvili for
putting the country in this position.
The report that Abkhazia has been recognised by Karabakh has not been
officially confirmed. The outlets saying this are quoting the so-called
Foreign Relations Committee Chairman of the Karabakh Parliament Vargam
Atanesian, who has allegedly said that so-called Karabakh President
Bako Saakian's presence at the inauguration of so-called Abkhazian
President Bagapsh is a confirmation of this recognition and in the near
future Stepanakert and Sokhumi will establish diplomatic relations.
Georgian Minister of Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili has called the
reports misinformation. Political analyst Mamuka Areshidze also thinks
that an oral statement not confirmed by a document has no meaning at
all. He also doubts that the Armenian leadership would allow such
a thing to happen. If the report is just a vague warning we should
analyse who it is targeted at, but if the report is true Tbilisi will
need to clear the matter up with Yerevan. Maybe misinformation has
been deliberately put out to see what Georgia's reaction would be,
but if the report is true Moscow will be the main beneficiary of the
NKR's action, because it will help it further its divide and rule
policy, as if it needs any more help.
Some analysts think that Russia actually wanted to keep the recently
reopened Larsi checkpoint closed, as this made it a source of potential
confrontation between Armenia and Georgia. In the event of such a
conflict Russia would have even more opportunities to intervene and
chop up the territories of its neighbours. All this might explain
Georgia's desire to reopen it, but you can only reopen the checkpoint
once. NKR recognising Abkhazia may be nonsense, but there is such a
thing as dangerous nonsense.