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VARIEGATED INTERESTS OF MEDIATOR-STATES IMPEDE RESOLUTION TO KARABAKH CONFLICT
By Ashot Safaryan
ArmInfo
2010-10-20 14:15:00
ArmInfo~Rs interview with Leader of Ramkavar Azatakan Party of Armenia
Haroutyun Arakelyan
Mr. Arakelyan, what do you think of the current situation around
the Karabakh conflict in the context of the OSCE MG Field Assessment
Mission?
The OSCE Minsk Group Field Assessment Mission, the key purpose of
which was to discover availability of the communications and if
the territories around Nagorny Karabakh were inhabited, promises
nothing good to Yerevan. Moreover, taking into consideration that
representatives of the Armenian Foreign Ministry fell into the habit
of making for their own citizens surprises born as a result of the
"night diplomacy", the mission of the mediators may lead to another
surprise, this time regarding the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Although
today we do not have any politician able to cede any territory with
a help of his signature, the external ring around Armenia and the
NKR is unfortunately tightening day by day.
Did the countries have any levers to prevent the given mission?
To find out what are our levers in the negotiations process, we must
Determine, first of all, who represents the Armenian party - Yerevan
or Stepanakert. After the actors are determined, they will have to
develop an exact strategy applicable to the negotiation process for
resolution to the conflict. There is no national program as such in the
issue of Nagorny Karabakh, and the political forces in the country,
including the national parties, cannot take any position. We say
that Nagorny Karabakh is an independent state with its Constitution,
authorities, at the same time we declare that the NKR has united
with Armenia. There are two contradictory methods of settling the
problems. It is necessary to develop an exact formula of actions and
specify the status of Yerevan as the mediator or the acting party. All
these issues need regulation. International structures take advantage
of this uncertainty and get involved in the peace process and assert
their egoistic interests. It was dependence on foreign methods that
ousted Nagorny Karabakh from the negotiations.
What settlement-scheme does your party suggest?
Our party has repeatedly suggested the authorities to apply to
the International Court for recognition of Azerbaijan's atrocities
with regards to the Armenian population in Baku, Sumgait and other
populated areas as Genocide. Article 33 of the UN Charter says that
even if Armenia is involved in the settlement process, the dispute
between the states must be settled through the International Court.
The logic of this viewpoint is clear enough: the massacre wave reached
Nagorny Karabakh where the population managed to defend themselves
and liberate their lands from the aggressor.
I am sure that telling these realities to the world we will prove
the genocide making nature of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, official
Yerevan neglects this dimension and Baku took advantage of that and
now actively forces the myth about "Genocide in Khojalu' on the world.
Actually, our omissions have turned us, the victims of genocide,
into aggressors.
Iran regularly expresses readiness to mediate in the Karabakh peace
process. Is Iran able to do that? And will the OSCE MG co-chair-states,
particularly, the USA, allow that?
The West will not let Iran to mediate in the Karabakh process.
Undoubtedly, Iran has numerous pre-conditions for such mission -
the common border with both parties to the conflict, the Armenian
community as well as the fact that the so-called Iranian Azerbaijanis
are a big part of the population. It seems to me that Teheran will
be able to bring something positive to the settlement process. But at
present such prospect is misty as the OSCE MG comprises the countries
that have been openly moving their interests forward and are unlikely
to put up with a new mediator in the mission. Variegated interests of
the mediators lead to the vicious circle in which the region has been
staying for more than 20 years. The authorities of both conflicting
countries do not have enough political will to find the way out from
the situation. Moreover, the Karabakh conflict has become a trump
card that they use to realize their own political ambitions.
Considering Moscow~Rs intensive efforts in the process and that the
problem is still not solved, one may get an impression that Russia
is not interested in the resolution to the conflict.
If one looks back at the peace process, he will see that at different
stages the mediators had different interests. In fact, they have never
been unanimous on this problem. Let's not forget that Turkey is also
a Minsk Group member and even though it is not a co-chair, it has an
active role in the regional processes. So, one should not expect any
serious progress in the MG's work. The recent Azeri provocations on
the contact line are the best proof of it.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has recently refuted reports on secret
negotiations between Yerevan and Ankara. Earlier, President of Turkey
declared about ~Ssilent but decisive diplomacy.~T What do you think
about all this?
I would like to believe the Armenian foreign minister, who denies the
rumors about the negotiations, but the "night diplomacy" experience,
its bitter results, give me no grounds for that. If initially the
talks were held in Armenia-Turkey-Switzerland format, and the latter
two started saying today that the talks have really been resumed, it
is senseless casting doubt on it. However, the Armenian party is the
only to observe "virtue". And the ~Sovertalkativeness" of Switzerland
and Ankara demonstrates that our foreign ministry is ignored.
From: A. Papazian
By Ashot Safaryan
ArmInfo
2010-10-20 14:15:00
ArmInfo~Rs interview with Leader of Ramkavar Azatakan Party of Armenia
Haroutyun Arakelyan
Mr. Arakelyan, what do you think of the current situation around
the Karabakh conflict in the context of the OSCE MG Field Assessment
Mission?
The OSCE Minsk Group Field Assessment Mission, the key purpose of
which was to discover availability of the communications and if
the territories around Nagorny Karabakh were inhabited, promises
nothing good to Yerevan. Moreover, taking into consideration that
representatives of the Armenian Foreign Ministry fell into the habit
of making for their own citizens surprises born as a result of the
"night diplomacy", the mission of the mediators may lead to another
surprise, this time regarding the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Although
today we do not have any politician able to cede any territory with
a help of his signature, the external ring around Armenia and the
NKR is unfortunately tightening day by day.
Did the countries have any levers to prevent the given mission?
To find out what are our levers in the negotiations process, we must
Determine, first of all, who represents the Armenian party - Yerevan
or Stepanakert. After the actors are determined, they will have to
develop an exact strategy applicable to the negotiation process for
resolution to the conflict. There is no national program as such in the
issue of Nagorny Karabakh, and the political forces in the country,
including the national parties, cannot take any position. We say
that Nagorny Karabakh is an independent state with its Constitution,
authorities, at the same time we declare that the NKR has united
with Armenia. There are two contradictory methods of settling the
problems. It is necessary to develop an exact formula of actions and
specify the status of Yerevan as the mediator or the acting party. All
these issues need regulation. International structures take advantage
of this uncertainty and get involved in the peace process and assert
their egoistic interests. It was dependence on foreign methods that
ousted Nagorny Karabakh from the negotiations.
What settlement-scheme does your party suggest?
Our party has repeatedly suggested the authorities to apply to
the International Court for recognition of Azerbaijan's atrocities
with regards to the Armenian population in Baku, Sumgait and other
populated areas as Genocide. Article 33 of the UN Charter says that
even if Armenia is involved in the settlement process, the dispute
between the states must be settled through the International Court.
The logic of this viewpoint is clear enough: the massacre wave reached
Nagorny Karabakh where the population managed to defend themselves
and liberate their lands from the aggressor.
I am sure that telling these realities to the world we will prove
the genocide making nature of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, official
Yerevan neglects this dimension and Baku took advantage of that and
now actively forces the myth about "Genocide in Khojalu' on the world.
Actually, our omissions have turned us, the victims of genocide,
into aggressors.
Iran regularly expresses readiness to mediate in the Karabakh peace
process. Is Iran able to do that? And will the OSCE MG co-chair-states,
particularly, the USA, allow that?
The West will not let Iran to mediate in the Karabakh process.
Undoubtedly, Iran has numerous pre-conditions for such mission -
the common border with both parties to the conflict, the Armenian
community as well as the fact that the so-called Iranian Azerbaijanis
are a big part of the population. It seems to me that Teheran will
be able to bring something positive to the settlement process. But at
present such prospect is misty as the OSCE MG comprises the countries
that have been openly moving their interests forward and are unlikely
to put up with a new mediator in the mission. Variegated interests of
the mediators lead to the vicious circle in which the region has been
staying for more than 20 years. The authorities of both conflicting
countries do not have enough political will to find the way out from
the situation. Moreover, the Karabakh conflict has become a trump
card that they use to realize their own political ambitions.
Considering Moscow~Rs intensive efforts in the process and that the
problem is still not solved, one may get an impression that Russia
is not interested in the resolution to the conflict.
If one looks back at the peace process, he will see that at different
stages the mediators had different interests. In fact, they have never
been unanimous on this problem. Let's not forget that Turkey is also
a Minsk Group member and even though it is not a co-chair, it has an
active role in the regional processes. So, one should not expect any
serious progress in the MG's work. The recent Azeri provocations on
the contact line are the best proof of it.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has recently refuted reports on secret
negotiations between Yerevan and Ankara. Earlier, President of Turkey
declared about ~Ssilent but decisive diplomacy.~T What do you think
about all this?
I would like to believe the Armenian foreign minister, who denies the
rumors about the negotiations, but the "night diplomacy" experience,
its bitter results, give me no grounds for that. If initially the
talks were held in Armenia-Turkey-Switzerland format, and the latter
two started saying today that the talks have really been resumed, it
is senseless casting doubt on it. However, the Armenian party is the
only to observe "virtue". And the ~Sovertalkativeness" of Switzerland
and Ankara demonstrates that our foreign ministry is ignored.
From: A. Papazian