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KARVACHAR, AGHDAM AND THE REST
JAMES HAKOBYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments24094.html
Published: 12:41:09 - 07/11/2011
The NKR government announced to launch the construction of the
strategic road connecting Karvachar region of NKR to Armenia. In fact,
it will be the second strategic road connecting NKR and Armenia after
Goris-Lachin-Stepanakert.
No doubt, it is a highly important strategic initiative, which could
even be described as belated. That road connecting with Karabakh
should have received the attention of the Armenian side a long time
ago. Though, better late than never.
In this meaning, however, interesting questions arise. Why is the
construction announced now? Because only now were funds raised
thanks to mining industries or because the issue of Karvachar, or
more exactly the issue of leaving it to the Armenian side has been
resolved on the international agenda?
The point is that if the problem was money, then it turns out that the
Armenian government (both the governments of Armenia and NKR because
this decision could not be made without the Armenian government) set
to build this road out of its business needs, as soon as it needed
infrastructure for mining industries. Meanwhile, mining industries
cannot be without the participation of the government because the
Armenian government coalesced with business would hardly have missed
this profitable branch.
Certainly, even if this is the motivation, it is nonetheless welcome
that the road will be constructed. In this situation, however, again
the absence of strategic thinking in the ruling elite is witnessed. No
strategic projects are implemented unless business interest is in
place. In other words, the Armenian government implements a business
strategy rather than a national strategy.
It is also possible that the problem is financial, and only the
profit from mines enabled to build this road. But I wonder if there
was no money for this important project. It is also evidence to the
lack of strategic thinking in the government because the elite which
find unlimited money for their personal luxury must be able to find
money for the construction of a strategic road.
It is also possible that the problem was politics. The destiny of
Karvachar was uncertain, the Armenian side had no confidence that it
would be able to keep it and preferred to spend no money. This is
already a problem of vision. In order to keep something, one needs
to spend a lot of money, to put it roughly. For instance, the same
government is ready to spend as much as it needs to hold on to power.
In order to keep Karvachar, it is necessary to spend money because
thereby it would be possible to keep Karvachar and the other
territories, populating them and using them for people as a forceful
argument on the international arena. In other words, it is necessary
to review the approach that without international guarantees there
is no need to waste money on projects for these territories.
It is the contrary. The issue will remain uncertain and eventually not
dependent on us unless a lot of money is spent on projects in these
territories. For instance, if the issue of Karvachar has been solved,
and now the government is investing money there, it is the result of
interests of the co-chairs rather than the Armenian side. Meanwhile,
it is never known what changes these interests will undergo, or what
changes the mechanisms of their support will undergo.
Consequently, strategic projects must be implemented "to keep or to
solve" rather than "after keeping or solving".
JAMES HAKOBYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments24094.html
Published: 12:41:09 - 07/11/2011
The NKR government announced to launch the construction of the
strategic road connecting Karvachar region of NKR to Armenia. In fact,
it will be the second strategic road connecting NKR and Armenia after
Goris-Lachin-Stepanakert.
No doubt, it is a highly important strategic initiative, which could
even be described as belated. That road connecting with Karabakh
should have received the attention of the Armenian side a long time
ago. Though, better late than never.
In this meaning, however, interesting questions arise. Why is the
construction announced now? Because only now were funds raised
thanks to mining industries or because the issue of Karvachar, or
more exactly the issue of leaving it to the Armenian side has been
resolved on the international agenda?
The point is that if the problem was money, then it turns out that the
Armenian government (both the governments of Armenia and NKR because
this decision could not be made without the Armenian government) set
to build this road out of its business needs, as soon as it needed
infrastructure for mining industries. Meanwhile, mining industries
cannot be without the participation of the government because the
Armenian government coalesced with business would hardly have missed
this profitable branch.
Certainly, even if this is the motivation, it is nonetheless welcome
that the road will be constructed. In this situation, however, again
the absence of strategic thinking in the ruling elite is witnessed. No
strategic projects are implemented unless business interest is in
place. In other words, the Armenian government implements a business
strategy rather than a national strategy.
It is also possible that the problem is financial, and only the
profit from mines enabled to build this road. But I wonder if there
was no money for this important project. It is also evidence to the
lack of strategic thinking in the government because the elite which
find unlimited money for their personal luxury must be able to find
money for the construction of a strategic road.
It is also possible that the problem was politics. The destiny of
Karvachar was uncertain, the Armenian side had no confidence that it
would be able to keep it and preferred to spend no money. This is
already a problem of vision. In order to keep something, one needs
to spend a lot of money, to put it roughly. For instance, the same
government is ready to spend as much as it needs to hold on to power.
In order to keep Karvachar, it is necessary to spend money because
thereby it would be possible to keep Karvachar and the other
territories, populating them and using them for people as a forceful
argument on the international arena. In other words, it is necessary
to review the approach that without international guarantees there
is no need to waste money on projects for these territories.
It is the contrary. The issue will remain uncertain and eventually not
dependent on us unless a lot of money is spent on projects in these
territories. For instance, if the issue of Karvachar has been solved,
and now the government is investing money there, it is the result of
interests of the co-chairs rather than the Armenian side. Meanwhile,
it is never known what changes these interests will undergo, or what
changes the mechanisms of their support will undergo.
Consequently, strategic projects must be implemented "to keep or to
solve" rather than "after keeping or solving".