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news.am, Armenia
Sept 18 2010
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: both parties losers
September 18, 2010 | 14:36
Passions might not have run high if we had shown a broader approach to
the issue - that is we should not have considered only one aspect of
the issue, namely, that it is only Armenia that is suffering losses.
Azerbaijan is equally involved in the conflict so it is suffering as
well. Therefore, being concerned over its economic future, that
country should also be concerned with the speediest settlement of the
conflict. For some unknown reason, the issue was overlooked by
political figures. The `no war no peace' situation between Armenia and
Azerbaijan makes both states spend huge funds on arms and army
reforms, slow down or even stop political and economic reforms. In
fact, Azerbaijan is in a worse situation than Armenia. Soon after
ceasefire was established, Armenia had a full-fledged army and its
only task was to maintain its efficiency. As regards Azerbaijan, its
army was defeated, and that state's task was to form an army, which
required much more funds. True, Azerbaijan has huge oil and gas
resources, which, however, have hardly improved the Azerbaijani
people's well-being - the social conditions in both the states are
hardly different. Azerbaijan would be a different country but for the
Nagorno-Karabakh knot.
To comprehend Azerbaijan's losses from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
let us take France and Algeria as an example. When French President
Charles de Gaulle recognized Algeria's independence in 1962, many
people thought France would face an economic collapse. As a colony,
Algeria supplied cheap energy resources to France, and French
landowners had estates in that country, which were a source of huge
incomes for them. After France granted independence to Algeria, it
registered more rapid progress than before. Nothing unusual. The funds
France had spent on war with Algeria before were invested in the
national economy. As long as French companies received cheap oil they
did not plan any technological modernization. However, after finding
themselves in an open business environment, they began seriously
thinking of efficiency. Moreover, French companies' reputation
improved in the international market - they were not representing a
colonizer country any more. These are the benefits of peace and good
neighborly relations.
From: A. Papazian
Sept 18 2010
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: both parties losers
September 18, 2010 | 14:36
Passions might not have run high if we had shown a broader approach to
the issue - that is we should not have considered only one aspect of
the issue, namely, that it is only Armenia that is suffering losses.
Azerbaijan is equally involved in the conflict so it is suffering as
well. Therefore, being concerned over its economic future, that
country should also be concerned with the speediest settlement of the
conflict. For some unknown reason, the issue was overlooked by
political figures. The `no war no peace' situation between Armenia and
Azerbaijan makes both states spend huge funds on arms and army
reforms, slow down or even stop political and economic reforms. In
fact, Azerbaijan is in a worse situation than Armenia. Soon after
ceasefire was established, Armenia had a full-fledged army and its
only task was to maintain its efficiency. As regards Azerbaijan, its
army was defeated, and that state's task was to form an army, which
required much more funds. True, Azerbaijan has huge oil and gas
resources, which, however, have hardly improved the Azerbaijani
people's well-being - the social conditions in both the states are
hardly different. Azerbaijan would be a different country but for the
Nagorno-Karabakh knot.
To comprehend Azerbaijan's losses from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
let us take France and Algeria as an example. When French President
Charles de Gaulle recognized Algeria's independence in 1962, many
people thought France would face an economic collapse. As a colony,
Algeria supplied cheap energy resources to France, and French
landowners had estates in that country, which were a source of huge
incomes for them. After France granted independence to Algeria, it
registered more rapid progress than before. Nothing unusual. The funds
France had spent on war with Algeria before were invested in the
national economy. As long as French companies received cheap oil they
did not plan any technological modernization. However, after finding
themselves in an open business environment, they began seriously
thinking of efficiency. Moreover, French companies' reputation
improved in the international market - they were not representing a
colonizer country any more. These are the benefits of peace and good
neighborly relations.
From: A. Papazian