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MOVING TOWARDS PEACE SHOULD BE THE EASIER OPTION
news.az
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan
News.Az interviews Dr Hans Gutbrod, the Tbilisi-based regional director
of the Caucasus Research and Resource Centre.
What can you say about the discussions held on 14 December on the EU
role in the South Caucasus? And what was the main line in your speech?
As typically happens in these conferences, there was a diversity of
viewpoints. I argued that one of the main things was to listen to the
citizens, and to what they have to say. This points the way towards
better governance, and thus towards some of the positive values
that many people attach to the European Union. There has been some
progress, but fundamental problems remain. Far too many people in
Azerbaijan, and in Armenia, still report paying bribes. And too many
people in all three countries state that they can't say openly what
they think. Progress should primarily be made in making the lives of
ordinary people better.
Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Roland Kobia said that the EU
is going to enhance its involvement in the Karabakh settlement in
2012. What do you think about it?
I did not actually see that statement, so I cannot comment on that
specifically. More broadly, anything that helps to move closer to
settlement is a good thing for the region.
Some experts propose to substitute France in OSCE Minsk group with
another EU member to achieve more fruitful activity of co-chair
states. Would it really help?
Ultimately, progress must come from within the region. What we
can say from our perspective is that all sides need to do more to
prepare themselves, and their population, for substantive peace. At
the conference, there were some encouraging signs. More contacts
between the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan would be a good thing,
because it's easier to make peace with people you know, rather than
people you are afraid of. One of the slides I showed illustrated that
many Armenians thought that opening the border with Turkey would be
bad for national security. And that illustrates the problem: moving
towards peace should be the easier option, not something that you
think is risky.
Can Azerbaijan's membership to UN Security Council in 2012-2013 promote
negotiation process or at least make the Karabakh problem more known
in the world?
Azerbaijan's membership in the Security Council will certainly help to
make the Karabakh problem more known in the world. At the same time,
the conflict is not resolved by a battle of international legitimacy.
Beyond any hard-nosed negotiation, it's about reassuring the other
side that a compromise is possible. I think if more Armenians visited
Baku, and found it a friendly environment, that would inspire some new
thinking. I'm not saying that it's as easy as having more friendly
contacts, but I think it's worth exploring new approaches on that
front, because the alternatives are pretty grim.
news.az
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan
News.Az interviews Dr Hans Gutbrod, the Tbilisi-based regional director
of the Caucasus Research and Resource Centre.
What can you say about the discussions held on 14 December on the EU
role in the South Caucasus? And what was the main line in your speech?
As typically happens in these conferences, there was a diversity of
viewpoints. I argued that one of the main things was to listen to the
citizens, and to what they have to say. This points the way towards
better governance, and thus towards some of the positive values
that many people attach to the European Union. There has been some
progress, but fundamental problems remain. Far too many people in
Azerbaijan, and in Armenia, still report paying bribes. And too many
people in all three countries state that they can't say openly what
they think. Progress should primarily be made in making the lives of
ordinary people better.
Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Roland Kobia said that the EU
is going to enhance its involvement in the Karabakh settlement in
2012. What do you think about it?
I did not actually see that statement, so I cannot comment on that
specifically. More broadly, anything that helps to move closer to
settlement is a good thing for the region.
Some experts propose to substitute France in OSCE Minsk group with
another EU member to achieve more fruitful activity of co-chair
states. Would it really help?
Ultimately, progress must come from within the region. What we
can say from our perspective is that all sides need to do more to
prepare themselves, and their population, for substantive peace. At
the conference, there were some encouraging signs. More contacts
between the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan would be a good thing,
because it's easier to make peace with people you know, rather than
people you are afraid of. One of the slides I showed illustrated that
many Armenians thought that opening the border with Turkey would be
bad for national security. And that illustrates the problem: moving
towards peace should be the easier option, not something that you
think is risky.
Can Azerbaijan's membership to UN Security Council in 2012-2013 promote
negotiation process or at least make the Karabakh problem more known
in the world?
Azerbaijan's membership in the Security Council will certainly help to
make the Karabakh problem more known in the world. At the same time,
the conflict is not resolved by a battle of international legitimacy.
Beyond any hard-nosed negotiation, it's about reassuring the other
side that a compromise is possible. I think if more Armenians visited
Baku, and found it a friendly environment, that would inspire some new
thinking. I'm not saying that it's as easy as having more friendly
contacts, but I think it's worth exploring new approaches on that
front, because the alternatives are pretty grim.