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WHO IS THE MASTER IN KARABAKH?
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments24099.html
Published: 14:22:34 - 07/11/2011
The policy of infrastructures in Karabakh is not carried out on
the basis of strategic importance but political considerations. In
addition, even the political conjuncture is not perceived adequately
by the authorities of Karabakh which are afraid to assert the public
interest as an absolute right.
In 1996, the reconstruction of the only road connecting Karabakh
with the world through Armenia was completed. Funds were raised by
Armenians across the world. And though ttraveling along this road
is clear extreme and not enough means were involved to ensure its
security, the fact of its existence has removed the issue of land
communication between Armenia and Karabakh from the political agenda
once and forever.
Later, Karabakh suddenly decided to launch the construction of a new
road called "South-North" which would connect the regions of NKR one
with another. The "nuance" is the fact that the road runs through the
territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. Actually,
it was called to ensure communication inside Karabakh in case the
territories are handed over. At the same time, in the initial project
the road would connect NKR with Armenia bypassing Lachin, to ensure
communication between Armenia and Karabakh, as an alternative to the
road running through Lachin.
This project "accidently" coincided with the initiative of the
mediators to force the Armenian party to make territorial concessions.
And the Armenian authorities, holding fundraising events, built this
defeatist road for a couple of years.
The road, of course, is used intensively, and it is certainly useful
to the general public and the country but at that moment it was not a
priority and the money raised for it could be spent for other purposes.
When 10 years ago, Base Metals LLC was established in Karabakh, which
transported the extracted pre-fabricated material from the Martakert
village Drmbon to the processing plant in Vardenis, Armenia, then-Prime
Minister of NKR Anushavan Danielyan once voiced his intention to lay
out a railway from Drmbon to Vardenis through Karvachar. This project
required a lot of money, and the funds raised for the South-North
highway could be enough for this railroad. It could have become an
important strategic and economic infrastructure.
But, apparently, there was not enough independence in the decision
making process, and the railway remained on paper.
The Karabakh authorities did not even wish to hear about repairing the
road passing through Aghdam and Martuni, Martakert and Hadrut. Later
the section running through Martakert was repaired but in order to get
to the regions of Martuni and Hadrut, it is necessary to take the new
"North-South" road, though the road through Aghdam is more convenient
and shorter.
A couple of years ago, the National assembly of Karabakh finally spoke
about the reconstruction of the Aghdam road but things haven't moved
since then.
Such a "defeatist" attitude to state infrastructure causes negative
feelings in the inhabitants of Karabakh. If the road through Aghdam
is not repaired and if electricity and water in Aghdam are not fixed,
it means they are going to hand it over, people in Karabakh think.
Handing over Aghdam is similar to death for the people living in
Karabakh.
Such an attitude to the most important infrastructure projects was
'enabled' by too heavy dependence of the Karabakh authorities on the
political conditions and position of the Armenian leadership and the
lack of the feeling of ownership. I think, this is the most sensitive
point - the authorities who fought for the right of the country to
live cannot keep in thier mind that the Karabakh area is 12 thousand
square kilometers, while remaining within the boundaries of miserable
four thousand square kilometers.
Limited political ambitions in the best meaning of the word, the scope
of thinking prevents the Karabakh authorities from handling already
conquered part of the state. A sense of subordination to someone
(coming from the fact that they got their positions from there) would
not let the Karabakh authorities to act on their own initiatives, even
if no one hinders these initiatives. Moreover, the fact that in the
past 20 years none of the mediators has taken any effective measure
to deprive Karabakh of the conquered areas must indicate that the
world is waiting for new initiatives and is willing to support them.
Such initiatives could be not only local roads but also regional
communication projects. The world will hardly reject projects which
Karabakh will put forward as part of regional communication.
It is true that for this the Karabakh authorities will have to look
at the world in a more broad perspective, to think on the Karabakh
factor and to overcome fears and complexes.
From: Baghdasarian
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments24099.html
Published: 14:22:34 - 07/11/2011
The policy of infrastructures in Karabakh is not carried out on
the basis of strategic importance but political considerations. In
addition, even the political conjuncture is not perceived adequately
by the authorities of Karabakh which are afraid to assert the public
interest as an absolute right.
In 1996, the reconstruction of the only road connecting Karabakh
with the world through Armenia was completed. Funds were raised by
Armenians across the world. And though ttraveling along this road
is clear extreme and not enough means were involved to ensure its
security, the fact of its existence has removed the issue of land
communication between Armenia and Karabakh from the political agenda
once and forever.
Later, Karabakh suddenly decided to launch the construction of a new
road called "South-North" which would connect the regions of NKR one
with another. The "nuance" is the fact that the road runs through the
territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. Actually,
it was called to ensure communication inside Karabakh in case the
territories are handed over. At the same time, in the initial project
the road would connect NKR with Armenia bypassing Lachin, to ensure
communication between Armenia and Karabakh, as an alternative to the
road running through Lachin.
This project "accidently" coincided with the initiative of the
mediators to force the Armenian party to make territorial concessions.
And the Armenian authorities, holding fundraising events, built this
defeatist road for a couple of years.
The road, of course, is used intensively, and it is certainly useful
to the general public and the country but at that moment it was not a
priority and the money raised for it could be spent for other purposes.
When 10 years ago, Base Metals LLC was established in Karabakh, which
transported the extracted pre-fabricated material from the Martakert
village Drmbon to the processing plant in Vardenis, Armenia, then-Prime
Minister of NKR Anushavan Danielyan once voiced his intention to lay
out a railway from Drmbon to Vardenis through Karvachar. This project
required a lot of money, and the funds raised for the South-North
highway could be enough for this railroad. It could have become an
important strategic and economic infrastructure.
But, apparently, there was not enough independence in the decision
making process, and the railway remained on paper.
The Karabakh authorities did not even wish to hear about repairing the
road passing through Aghdam and Martuni, Martakert and Hadrut. Later
the section running through Martakert was repaired but in order to get
to the regions of Martuni and Hadrut, it is necessary to take the new
"North-South" road, though the road through Aghdam is more convenient
and shorter.
A couple of years ago, the National assembly of Karabakh finally spoke
about the reconstruction of the Aghdam road but things haven't moved
since then.
Such a "defeatist" attitude to state infrastructure causes negative
feelings in the inhabitants of Karabakh. If the road through Aghdam
is not repaired and if electricity and water in Aghdam are not fixed,
it means they are going to hand it over, people in Karabakh think.
Handing over Aghdam is similar to death for the people living in
Karabakh.
Such an attitude to the most important infrastructure projects was
'enabled' by too heavy dependence of the Karabakh authorities on the
political conditions and position of the Armenian leadership and the
lack of the feeling of ownership. I think, this is the most sensitive
point - the authorities who fought for the right of the country to
live cannot keep in thier mind that the Karabakh area is 12 thousand
square kilometers, while remaining within the boundaries of miserable
four thousand square kilometers.
Limited political ambitions in the best meaning of the word, the scope
of thinking prevents the Karabakh authorities from handling already
conquered part of the state. A sense of subordination to someone
(coming from the fact that they got their positions from there) would
not let the Karabakh authorities to act on their own initiatives, even
if no one hinders these initiatives. Moreover, the fact that in the
past 20 years none of the mediators has taken any effective measure
to deprive Karabakh of the conquered areas must indicate that the
world is waiting for new initiatives and is willing to support them.
Such initiatives could be not only local roads but also regional
communication projects. The world will hardly reject projects which
Karabakh will put forward as part of regional communication.
It is true that for this the Karabakh authorities will have to look
at the world in a more broad perspective, to think on the Karabakh
factor and to overcome fears and complexes.
From: Baghdasarian