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WEST SEEKS TO PULL RUSSIA OUT OF KARABAKH PEACE DEAL - RUSSIAN PAPER
Tert.am
November 14, 2011
The West wishes to pull Russia out of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal,
the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta says, commenting upon EU High
Representative Catherine Ashton's upcoming visit to the South Caucasus.
"Catherine Ashton is starting her South Caucasus tour tomorrow. She
will first visit Baku, then leave for Tbilisi, and at the end -
travel to Yerevan. The meetings with the country leaders will focus
on possibilities of intensifying the EU's role in conflict resolution
efforts, particularly in the Karabakh settlement process. In the
meantime, the United States is said to be ready to seize from Russia
the role of a chief broker in the deal," the paper says, adding that
Europe is discontented with the stalled process.
It refers to EU parliament member Cristian Vigenin's recent statement
in Yerevan, when the European lawmaker called for involving new
players in the process, not considering the OSCE Minsk Group format
satisfactory for bringing about any change.
The Russian publication further refers to Azerbaijani political
analyst Rasim Agaev's statement that the United States is seeking to
neutralize Russia's influence on the South Caucasus.
"The Azeri expert says Washington is implementing the Big Caucasus
project which aims to strengthen the country's positions in the region,
pushing forward the US interests. Given Georgia's hostile attitude
to Russia and the Azerbaijani top classes' orientation towards the
West rather than Russia, the United States has but one problem in
the region, i.e. - Armenia, which is Russia's strategic ally. Agaev
thinks it's hard to bring Armenia out of Russia's influence, though
he considers the goal feasible," the paper comments.
It further quotes the Germany based political analyst and a former
member of Karabakh committee, Ashot Manucharyan, as saying that it
is impossible to exclude Russia from the process.
"Moscow will not pull out of Karabakh settlement, placing the chief
mediator's burden on the United States or the EU because in that way
the country would confirm its incapacity," Manuharyan told the paper.
The author of the article also referred to Azeri Deputy FM Araz
Azimov's interview to Standart daily, particularly his remark that
mutual concessions do not imply the return of any territory to Armenia.
To know Nagorno-Karabakh's official standpoint on the statement,
the paper also talked to the spokesperson of the country's president,
David Babayan, who stressed the importance of direct talks.
"We agree to the opinion that the resolution of the dispute does
not imply ceding any territory to Armenia. The Karabakh conflict
is neither a territorial issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan nor
a dispute between Yerevan and Baku. It is a conflict between Baku
and Stepanakert, that requires direct talks," the NK official told
the paper.
He was further quoted as saying that the authorities in Karabakh have
never been against the return of the Azeri refuges.
"We have always been ready to receive the ethnic Azerbaijanis on
condition that they receive NK citizenship and integrate to Karabakh's
society," he noted.
Tert.am
November 14, 2011
The West wishes to pull Russia out of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal,
the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta says, commenting upon EU High
Representative Catherine Ashton's upcoming visit to the South Caucasus.
"Catherine Ashton is starting her South Caucasus tour tomorrow. She
will first visit Baku, then leave for Tbilisi, and at the end -
travel to Yerevan. The meetings with the country leaders will focus
on possibilities of intensifying the EU's role in conflict resolution
efforts, particularly in the Karabakh settlement process. In the
meantime, the United States is said to be ready to seize from Russia
the role of a chief broker in the deal," the paper says, adding that
Europe is discontented with the stalled process.
It refers to EU parliament member Cristian Vigenin's recent statement
in Yerevan, when the European lawmaker called for involving new
players in the process, not considering the OSCE Minsk Group format
satisfactory for bringing about any change.
The Russian publication further refers to Azerbaijani political
analyst Rasim Agaev's statement that the United States is seeking to
neutralize Russia's influence on the South Caucasus.
"The Azeri expert says Washington is implementing the Big Caucasus
project which aims to strengthen the country's positions in the region,
pushing forward the US interests. Given Georgia's hostile attitude
to Russia and the Azerbaijani top classes' orientation towards the
West rather than Russia, the United States has but one problem in
the region, i.e. - Armenia, which is Russia's strategic ally. Agaev
thinks it's hard to bring Armenia out of Russia's influence, though
he considers the goal feasible," the paper comments.
It further quotes the Germany based political analyst and a former
member of Karabakh committee, Ashot Manucharyan, as saying that it
is impossible to exclude Russia from the process.
"Moscow will not pull out of Karabakh settlement, placing the chief
mediator's burden on the United States or the EU because in that way
the country would confirm its incapacity," Manuharyan told the paper.
The author of the article also referred to Azeri Deputy FM Araz
Azimov's interview to Standart daily, particularly his remark that
mutual concessions do not imply the return of any territory to Armenia.
To know Nagorno-Karabakh's official standpoint on the statement,
the paper also talked to the spokesperson of the country's president,
David Babayan, who stressed the importance of direct talks.
"We agree to the opinion that the resolution of the dispute does
not imply ceding any territory to Armenia. The Karabakh conflict
is neither a territorial issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan nor
a dispute between Yerevan and Baku. It is a conflict between Baku
and Stepanakert, that requires direct talks," the NK official told
the paper.
He was further quoted as saying that the authorities in Karabakh have
never been against the return of the Azeri refuges.
"We have always been ready to receive the ethnic Azerbaijanis on
condition that they receive NK citizenship and integrate to Karabakh's
society," he noted.