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EurasiaNet, NY
Oct 29 2010
Armenia and Azerbaijan: Breathing Life into Karabakh Peace Talks?
October 29, 2010 - 3:54pm, by Shahin Abbasov
An unexpected joint statement issued by the presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia could reinvigorate the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process.
The statement came after talks held by Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, and Russian leader
Dmitry Medvedev on October 27 in the Russian city of Astrakhan, near
the Caspian Sea. `The settlement of the [Karabakh] conflict through
political and diplomatic means requires further efforts on
strengthening the ceasefire regime and confidence-building measures,'
the statement declared.
To give substantive meaning to the statement's intent, Sargsyan and
Aliyev agreed to exchange prisoners and to repatriate the remains of
soldiers killed in the fighting.
Officials in Baku have sounded an upbeat note in the days since the
Astrakhan meeting. Ali Hasanov, a presidential aide, hailed the joint
statement as a `positive result of the Astrakhan meeting.' Meanwhile,
Aydin Mirzazade, the deputy chairman of parliament's Committee on
Defense and Security, said the statement `creates a cautiously
optimistic feeling.'
While the Astrakhan statement may have offered an encouraging sign,
Azerbaijani officials say they do not expect it to lead to a
breakthrough during the upcoming OSCE summit in Astana in early
December. `The [Astrakhan] statement serves only to create a direct
dialogue in humanitarian area,' Hasanov said.
Earlier, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov downplayed
speculation that a blueprint for a Karabakh peace settlement could be
signed on the sidelines of the OSCE Astana gathering. `Such a proposal
was made earlier but there is nothing on the table now,' he said at a
news conference in Baku.
French diplomats praised the Astrakhan statement, according to a
report distributed by the Panorama.am news website. A French Foreign
Ministry representative was quoted as saying the statement `can help
ease tension and reduce the incidents of ceasefire violation.' France
is one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe body that is overseeing peace
talks.
In a related development, the Armenian parliament on October 29
postponed a vote officially to recognize Karabakh's independence from
Azerbaijan.
Editor's note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance reporter based in Baku.
He is also a board member of the Open Society Foundation - Azerbaijan.
From: A. Papazian
Oct 29 2010
Armenia and Azerbaijan: Breathing Life into Karabakh Peace Talks?
October 29, 2010 - 3:54pm, by Shahin Abbasov
An unexpected joint statement issued by the presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia could reinvigorate the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process.
The statement came after talks held by Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, and Russian leader
Dmitry Medvedev on October 27 in the Russian city of Astrakhan, near
the Caspian Sea. `The settlement of the [Karabakh] conflict through
political and diplomatic means requires further efforts on
strengthening the ceasefire regime and confidence-building measures,'
the statement declared.
To give substantive meaning to the statement's intent, Sargsyan and
Aliyev agreed to exchange prisoners and to repatriate the remains of
soldiers killed in the fighting.
Officials in Baku have sounded an upbeat note in the days since the
Astrakhan meeting. Ali Hasanov, a presidential aide, hailed the joint
statement as a `positive result of the Astrakhan meeting.' Meanwhile,
Aydin Mirzazade, the deputy chairman of parliament's Committee on
Defense and Security, said the statement `creates a cautiously
optimistic feeling.'
While the Astrakhan statement may have offered an encouraging sign,
Azerbaijani officials say they do not expect it to lead to a
breakthrough during the upcoming OSCE summit in Astana in early
December. `The [Astrakhan] statement serves only to create a direct
dialogue in humanitarian area,' Hasanov said.
Earlier, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov downplayed
speculation that a blueprint for a Karabakh peace settlement could be
signed on the sidelines of the OSCE Astana gathering. `Such a proposal
was made earlier but there is nothing on the table now,' he said at a
news conference in Baku.
French diplomats praised the Astrakhan statement, according to a
report distributed by the Panorama.am news website. A French Foreign
Ministry representative was quoted as saying the statement `can help
ease tension and reduce the incidents of ceasefire violation.' France
is one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe body that is overseeing peace
talks.
In a related development, the Armenian parliament on October 29
postponed a vote officially to recognize Karabakh's independence from
Azerbaijan.
Editor's note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance reporter based in Baku.
He is also a board member of the Open Society Foundation - Azerbaijan.
From: A. Papazian