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FROZEN PEACE TALK: NEW STATES RECOGNIZED, NKR ISSUE IN A DEADLOCK
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
27.09.11 | 09:52
Photo: www.president.am
Sargsyan once again stated in US Karabakh's independence is not to
be questioned
In the highlight of the activated recognition issue of the Palestine
state and immediately following Southern Sudan's UN membership, the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement issue has reached a deadlock indefinitely;
at least it has lost its typical sharpness of over the past two years.
Positions of Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku are being announced more
publicly: the Armenian sides are stating that there exists an ongoing
process of recognition of new states today, and why not then recognize
Nagorno Karabakh as well? The Azeri side counters that violation of
the territorial integrity of a country- member of UN is unacceptable
without that country's consent.
At the UN General Assembly session on September 18, Azerbaijan raised
the issue of "fictitious elections of local administration bodies
in the occupied Azeri region of Nagorno Karabakh". Azerbaijan's
permanent representative to UN Agshin Mehdiyev addressed a letter to
the UN Secretary General asking to put the Azeri foreign minister's
statement on the General Assembly's and Security Council's agendas:
"Baku is stating that the existing unrecognized separatist regime in
the occupied Azeri territories is nothing but an illegal structure
created by Armenia in consequence of ethnic purges of these territories
of their Azeri population. Fictitious 'elections' are held to disguise
Armenia's expansionist policy and the results of its continued
occupation of the territories recognized on an international level
as belonging to Azerbaijan."
Azerbaijan's initiative was unable, however, to hold back Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan from making a number of high-flown statements.
In his speech from the high tribune of the 66th session of the
General Assembly, Sargsyan said: "I would like to congratulate the
newly-elected member of the UN, the Republic of South Sudan. Its path
to having a place in this august hall has been long and difficult,
but the people of South Sudan, through the free expression of will,
exercised their right to live in sovereignty and independently, thus
crossing the path that many of the UN member states present here today
have crossed....The people of Nagorno-Karabakh made the same choice
two decades ago by exercising their right to self-determination, by
withstanding the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, and surviving bloodshed
to earn their right to live in freedom."
In his address to the American-Armenian community members during
his working visit to New York, Sargsyan was even more blunt in his
statements: "Artsakh has been enjoying its independence for the last
20 years and after the settlement it cannot have a status inferior
to the one it has now and which has been won by its sons' blood.
Independence of Karabakh or the right of its people for
self-determination is not to be questioned."
Sargsyan's speeches in the United States have become a subject of
criticism on the part of Azeri authorities and the ruling party there.
"By his delirious statements that Nagorno Karabakh will never be
returned to Azerbaijan, Sargsyan is trying to compensate for his lost
position in his country," said Ali Ahmedov, executive secretary of
ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party.
The fact that the negotiation process on the Karabakh issue is
currently in a deadlock is admitted by the Azeri politicians as well.
"Not a single step forward has been made in the Karabakh settlement
issue after the Kazan meeting," said Araz Azimov, deputy foreign
minister of Azerbaijan, on September 24. "Recently, minister Elmar
Mamedyarov held a meeting with the OSCE MG co-chairs in New York,
however I do not think there was any progress. As of this moment the
talks on the Karabakh issue are in stagnation".
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
27.09.11 | 09:52
Photo: www.president.am
Sargsyan once again stated in US Karabakh's independence is not to
be questioned
In the highlight of the activated recognition issue of the Palestine
state and immediately following Southern Sudan's UN membership, the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement issue has reached a deadlock indefinitely;
at least it has lost its typical sharpness of over the past two years.
Positions of Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku are being announced more
publicly: the Armenian sides are stating that there exists an ongoing
process of recognition of new states today, and why not then recognize
Nagorno Karabakh as well? The Azeri side counters that violation of
the territorial integrity of a country- member of UN is unacceptable
without that country's consent.
At the UN General Assembly session on September 18, Azerbaijan raised
the issue of "fictitious elections of local administration bodies
in the occupied Azeri region of Nagorno Karabakh". Azerbaijan's
permanent representative to UN Agshin Mehdiyev addressed a letter to
the UN Secretary General asking to put the Azeri foreign minister's
statement on the General Assembly's and Security Council's agendas:
"Baku is stating that the existing unrecognized separatist regime in
the occupied Azeri territories is nothing but an illegal structure
created by Armenia in consequence of ethnic purges of these territories
of their Azeri population. Fictitious 'elections' are held to disguise
Armenia's expansionist policy and the results of its continued
occupation of the territories recognized on an international level
as belonging to Azerbaijan."
Azerbaijan's initiative was unable, however, to hold back Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan from making a number of high-flown statements.
In his speech from the high tribune of the 66th session of the
General Assembly, Sargsyan said: "I would like to congratulate the
newly-elected member of the UN, the Republic of South Sudan. Its path
to having a place in this august hall has been long and difficult,
but the people of South Sudan, through the free expression of will,
exercised their right to live in sovereignty and independently, thus
crossing the path that many of the UN member states present here today
have crossed....The people of Nagorno-Karabakh made the same choice
two decades ago by exercising their right to self-determination, by
withstanding the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, and surviving bloodshed
to earn their right to live in freedom."
In his address to the American-Armenian community members during
his working visit to New York, Sargsyan was even more blunt in his
statements: "Artsakh has been enjoying its independence for the last
20 years and after the settlement it cannot have a status inferior
to the one it has now and which has been won by its sons' blood.
Independence of Karabakh or the right of its people for
self-determination is not to be questioned."
Sargsyan's speeches in the United States have become a subject of
criticism on the part of Azeri authorities and the ruling party there.
"By his delirious statements that Nagorno Karabakh will never be
returned to Azerbaijan, Sargsyan is trying to compensate for his lost
position in his country," said Ali Ahmedov, executive secretary of
ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party.
The fact that the negotiation process on the Karabakh issue is
currently in a deadlock is admitted by the Azeri politicians as well.
"Not a single step forward has been made in the Karabakh settlement
issue after the Kazan meeting," said Araz Azimov, deputy foreign
minister of Azerbaijan, on September 24. "Recently, minister Elmar
Mamedyarov held a meeting with the OSCE MG co-chairs in New York,
however I do not think there was any progress. As of this moment the
talks on the Karabakh issue are in stagnation".