Tweet
OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
Vestnik Kavkaza
July 9 2012
Russia
Author: Alexei Vlasov, exclusive to VK
OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier began a tour of the South
Caucasus; beginning with Baku, where he held several meetings at which,
of course, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed. I cannot say
that this visit by the prominent EU official to Baku was expected
with high hopes.
In principle, the rhetoric of the OSCE on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is well known, as well as the positions of the sides on the issue of
the prospects for settlement of this protracted conflict.
That's why in the public part of communicating with journalists
Mr. Zannier confined himself to two main theses: firstly, the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a greater threat to the region,
and secondly, negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict.
The Azerbaijani side also performed in the usual manner. At the
very least, there was not any radically new rhetoric from Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov during the briefing. The Foreign Minister
of Azerbaijan, referring to recent incidents that led to the deaths
of soldiers both on the Azerbaijani side and on the Armenian one,
said that in his opinion, the problem is the lack of any effective
monitoring mechanisms on the part of the international observers.
This question is just secondary to the main point, which is the
fact of the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh problem. "The problem is not
in the mechanism bu the presence of the armed forces of Armenia on
Azerbaijan's territory. If these troops are withdrawn, we will not
have any problems of snipers, no need for the mechanism, no armed
incidents," the Minister said.
This fact alone shows the disappointment of Baku with the prospects
of mediation in the format of the OSCE, because even minimal progress
in resolving the so-called frozen conflicts has not occurred since
the cease-fire in the mid-1990s,.
Obviously, the Italian diplomat realizes that, despite the persistence
of relative peace, the internal tensions over the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem continue to grow. Most likely, this circumstance has prompted
Lamberto Zanniera to emphasize several times that the status quo can
not be perceived as a solution to the problem. This assessment is
certainly true; the officials both from Moscow and from Washington
and Brussels could put their names to it.
But what will come next? Where is the key that will help the
representatives of the intermediaries to turn the phase of the dialogue
"good that we are talking, not fighting," into the next phase of
taking real decisions. Alas, we must be realistic and recognize that
at present there is no miracle recipe, and no matter which diplomatic
language may describe the outcome of the South Caucasus voyage of
Mr. Zannier; in fact, it can be reduced to a single proverb about a
bad peace and a good war.
From: A. Papazian
Vestnik Kavkaza
July 9 2012
Russia
Author: Alexei Vlasov, exclusive to VK
OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier began a tour of the South
Caucasus; beginning with Baku, where he held several meetings at which,
of course, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed. I cannot say
that this visit by the prominent EU official to Baku was expected
with high hopes.
In principle, the rhetoric of the OSCE on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is well known, as well as the positions of the sides on the issue of
the prospects for settlement of this protracted conflict.
That's why in the public part of communicating with journalists
Mr. Zannier confined himself to two main theses: firstly, the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a greater threat to the region,
and secondly, negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict.
The Azerbaijani side also performed in the usual manner. At the
very least, there was not any radically new rhetoric from Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov during the briefing. The Foreign Minister
of Azerbaijan, referring to recent incidents that led to the deaths
of soldiers both on the Azerbaijani side and on the Armenian one,
said that in his opinion, the problem is the lack of any effective
monitoring mechanisms on the part of the international observers.
This question is just secondary to the main point, which is the
fact of the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh problem. "The problem is not
in the mechanism bu the presence of the armed forces of Armenia on
Azerbaijan's territory. If these troops are withdrawn, we will not
have any problems of snipers, no need for the mechanism, no armed
incidents," the Minister said.
This fact alone shows the disappointment of Baku with the prospects
of mediation in the format of the OSCE, because even minimal progress
in resolving the so-called frozen conflicts has not occurred since
the cease-fire in the mid-1990s,.
Obviously, the Italian diplomat realizes that, despite the persistence
of relative peace, the internal tensions over the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem continue to grow. Most likely, this circumstance has prompted
Lamberto Zanniera to emphasize several times that the status quo can
not be perceived as a solution to the problem. This assessment is
certainly true; the officials both from Moscow and from Washington
and Brussels could put their names to it.
But what will come next? Where is the key that will help the
representatives of the intermediaries to turn the phase of the dialogue
"good that we are talking, not fighting," into the next phase of
taking real decisions. Alas, we must be realistic and recognize that
at present there is no miracle recipe, and no matter which diplomatic
language may describe the outcome of the South Caucasus voyage of
Mr. Zannier; in fact, it can be reduced to a single proverb about a
bad peace and a good war.
From: A. Papazian