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BAKU: When no choice is left... there is always a choice!

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  • BAKU: When no choice is left... there is always a choice!

    news.az, Azerbaijan
    July 2 2011

    When no choice is left... there is always a choice!


    Sat 02 July 2011 07:31 GMT | 3:31 Local Time
    by Farhad Mammadov, Political scientist.


    The Kazan meeting on the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
    conflict over Nagorno Karabakh will add to history as the most
    highlighted meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in
    world mass media.

    Joint statements of the US, Russian and French presidents for over a
    year have created conditions for changes in the resolution of the
    conflict and breakthroughs in the process.

    There were hopes for changes at least in the status quo which creates
    a deadlocked situation in the settlement process. However, all hopes
    were blown away by the status of Nagorno Karabakh, which remains
    unsettled and makes all reached agreements irrelevant.

    It still remains unclear what the co-chairing countries hoped for in
    this cornerstone issue. The conflict parties voice polar positions in
    the status of Nagorno Karabakh. All other issues including return of
    adjacent regions, opening of communication, presence of international
    peacekeepers are just an entourage of the conflict essence.

    The Minsk group co-chairs have held a huge work in smoothing sharp
    corners and coordinating resolution principles, but failed to advance
    in the status of the region.

    We have to stress the increased attention to the process ahead of the
    meeting: the calls from Obama and a message from Sarkozy, hundreds of
    articles in world's most influential mass media and TV footages on all
    famous TV channels.

    But where is the result? The world has seemingly no other countries as
    strong as the Minsk Group co-chairs. They are the states that make
    major decisions in the world, participate in processes and undertake
    duties on peace settlement. But they fail.

    The co-chairs have repeatedly made accurate messages to the conflict
    parties about the need to change the status quo, that is to make steps
    to form a new situation, new conditions, new picture in the region.

    For this, there have been a number of proposals from opening of
    borders to return of several Armenian-occupied regions. Here, the
    co-chairing countries demonstrated an openly controversial position:
    on the one hand, they did not agree on the current situation and on
    the other hand, they sponsor one of the conflict parties-Armenia (US
    aid and EEC stabilization fund, attempts of unilateral opening of
    border with Turkey, new arms supplies to support seeming parity with
    Azerbaijan).

    Meanwhile, real pressure remains solely in statements, speeches and
    mass media pages. Nothing definite has been done, hence, the impudence
    of Armenian side on results of talks.

    Certainly, representatives of the co-chairing countries were
    obstinately speaking about the nonuse of force and this message refers
    solely to Azerbaijan. But for some unknown reason, no one speaks about
    the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the regions on which the UN
    resolutions were passes?

    On the other hand, who is to judge? The co-chairing countries
    themselves settle their international issues with arms and violence.
    Such concepts as `forcing to peace', `spreading democracy through
    overthrow', `support of rebels' have emerged among modern mechanisms
    of solving the problem.

    For this reason, the spokesmen who insist on nonuse of force in
    process of Karabakh settlement should at least change formulations in
    the statements of structures and states they represent.

    The only reason of not putting at least minimal pressure on Armenia is
    the fact of uncertainty in the situation to establish after the
    conflict. Probably, not all co-chairs wish sincerely the changes in
    status quo, since they have no resources and strategy for the
    post-conflict South Caucasus?

    Steps toward preventing threat by Azerbaijan in the post-conflict
    period are not understood completely. Azerbaijan's membership in the
    Non-Aligned Movement and the statement of the Foreign Ministry about
    the country's unwillingness to join military and political blocs are
    not enough for the forces that have real potential to press on the
    aggressor.

    It turns out that while holding a real independent foreign policy
    based on national interests, Azerbaijan almost gets no chances for
    peace settlement of the Karabakh conflict and restoration of the
    territorial integrity through diplomatic ways.

    The country is , in fact, facing a choice: either to join a military
    and political bloc and disavow an independent policy or live without
    Karabakh and hope for changes in the world and the collapse of
    Armenia's patrons.

    The third way is the same-war. In fact, if the co-chairs have failed
    to reach effect throughout all those years, while the heads of the
    strongest countries of the world failed to bring the parties to peace
    in Camp-David, Rombauer and recently in Sochi and Kazan, they have to
    admit their inconsistency as mediators and abandon the settlement
    process, leaving Azerbaijan and Armenia on-on-one. International
    policy is illogical and lacks common sense.

    The world's strongest states have been supporting the nations that are
    ready to fulfill their masters' will for centuries and suppressing the
    nations that wish to be independent.

    However, history shows that historical cycles repeat and time comes
    when patrons are losing their power and puppet countries feel the
    whole burden of their previously chosen way.

    Thanks to its development, growing role in regional geopolitics and
    increasing number of allies can afford waiting and consolidating in
    military sphere, economic potential and raising international
    influence.

    Geopolitical and geoeconomic conjuncture is formed the way that
    Armenian patrons find it more and more difficult to maintain a
    bankrupted country, whose parasitism is set as a state ideology.

    1news.az

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