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SNAIL PACE KARABAKH ESCALATION BRINGS DRAMATIC RISKS FOR REGION AND EUROPE
ABHaber
http://www.abhaber.com/ozelhaber.php?id=14348
June 20 2012
Turkey
On 18 June 2012, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs met together with
the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Paris. European
Friends of Armenia shares the disappointment and recommendations issued
yesterday by the three Co-Chairing Presidents at the G20 summit in
Los Cabos (Mexico). In particular we regret that Azerbaijan continues
blocking the key confidence building measures, i.e. the establishment
of an investigation mechanism for incidents on the line of contact,
the removal of snipers and promotion of people to people contacts. The
on-going snail pace escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict brings
dramatic risks for the entire South-Caucasus region, as well as for the
Middle East and Europe. The following facts summarise the situation:
-Tensions have more and more moved away from smaller sniper incidents
to artillery shelling and incursions on the other side
-Azerbaijan has made a number of attacks on mainland Armenia with
military and civilian casualties (targets included an ambulance and a
kindergarten). Azeri media justified this with "preventing provocations
on the Armenian side"
-There is no perspective for confidence building, amid last week's and
yesterday's refusal by Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Mammadyarov to
implement OSCE calls for the removal of snipers and an investigation
mechanism for incidents on the line of contact. (see details below)
-War threats from Azerbaijan's President Aliyev and his administration
are continuing
-On 25-27 June, Armenia will simulate a general mobilisation for the
defence case of a full-scale war
"Ignoring the Presidents' agreement of Sochi, Azerbaijan now conditions
every progress on the removal of troops. For good reasons, the Madrid
Principles proposed by the Minsk-Group foresee a troop removal in
the very specific context of the other parts of the package, ensuring
that there would be no vacuum of power and security, but an interim
status guarded by international troops and guarantees.
To pre-condition all confidence building measures to a unilateral
removal of troops is more than cynical and effectively means that Baku
simply refuses all the diplomatic steps proposed by the OSCE. This
maximalist approach means further escalation." concludes Dr Michael
Kambeck, EuFoA Secretary General. "A new war would come at insane
costs to all sides, and would certainly destroy the Azerbaijani
petro-industry, the source of Azerbaijan's wealth and defence budget.
This may seem irrational but it is consistent, also with the highly
aggressive speeches of President Aliyev addressing international
audiences."
EuFoA repeats its call upon the EU and other international actors
to stop "calls upon both sides" and instead to specify more clearly
which actions are expected from each side, as otherwise the respective
sources of the problems are encouraged to continue their dangerous
behaviour. The sides should also be commended individually for
positive steps and initiatives. This will assist a more result
oriented negotiation under the OSCE Minsk Group mediation. It is a
perverted interpretation of impartiality to call upon both sides,
when some problems clearly originate from this or the other side.
Details about confidence building measures:
The OSCE, the Minsk-Group Co-Chairs and the EU have repeatedly urged
the two sides to remove their snipers from the line of contact and
implement the "Sochi agreement" for an investigation mechanism for
each of the shooting incidents. During his visit to Yerevan and Baku
last week, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, repeated this call.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Mammadyarov agreed "in principle" but
conditioned any such confidence building measure with the removal of
Armenian and Karabakhi troops. "If we start applying that mechanism
now, that will only mean reinforcing the status quo, which is
unacceptable." Cynically, he went on to explain "However, after the
troops are withdrawn, this mechanism will not be required." The same
counts for the question of removing snipers, for which he declared
"After the troops are withdrawn, snipers on the border will not be
required." Note that the two steps are meant to reduce the number
of casualties and create a climate in which the sides can agree
and implement the Madrid Principles, which include (L'Aquila - 10
July 2009):
-return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani
control
-an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for
security and self-governance
-a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh
-future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh
through a legally binding expression of will
-the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return
to their former places of residence
-international security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping
operation
EuFoA also awaited a clearer public communication from Armenia,
which Foreign Minister Nalbandyan gave last week during the meeting
with Eamon Gilmore "I would like to add, that Armenia has been and
is for the creation of the mechanisms of investigation and, unlike
Azerbaijan, when we agree on something, we do not backtrack on the
following day. I should recall that corresponding elements of the
establishment of mechanisms are included in the relevant statements
made by the Presidents of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan in March
2011 and January 2012 in Sochi. We respect those agreements and we
are for the creation of this mechanism."
Daha fazla bilgi için:
Joint Statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict by Barack Obama,
President of the United States of America, Vladimir Putin, President
of the Russian Federation, and François Hollande, President of the
French Republic at the Los Cabos Summit of the Twenty (19 June 2012):
http://translations.state.gov/st/english/texttrans/2012/06/201206187658.html#axzz1yDv1hr5i
Press release by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan (18 June 2012):
http://www.osce.org/mg/91367
Collection of war threat statements by President Ilham Aliyev
and other Azerbaijani officials (updated 18 April 2012):
http://www.eufoa.org/uploads/AliyevWarThreats.pdf
Azerbaijani FM: Incident investigation mechanism in
current situation to strengthen status quo (14 June 2012):
http://en.trend.az/news/karabakh/2037261.html
Foreign Minister Nalbandyan's address and answers to questions during
the press conference with Eamon Gilmore, OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (12 June 2012):
http://mfa.am/en/press-conference/item/2012/06/12/osce_cio_perss/
YASAL UYARI KAYNAK GÖSTERİLMEDEN YAYIMLANAMAZ VE ALINTI YAPILAMAZ
ABHaber, 20-06-2012 06.00 (TSİ)
ABHaber
http://www.abhaber.com/ozelhaber.php?id=14348
June 20 2012
Turkey
On 18 June 2012, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs met together with
the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Paris. European
Friends of Armenia shares the disappointment and recommendations issued
yesterday by the three Co-Chairing Presidents at the G20 summit in
Los Cabos (Mexico). In particular we regret that Azerbaijan continues
blocking the key confidence building measures, i.e. the establishment
of an investigation mechanism for incidents on the line of contact,
the removal of snipers and promotion of people to people contacts. The
on-going snail pace escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict brings
dramatic risks for the entire South-Caucasus region, as well as for the
Middle East and Europe. The following facts summarise the situation:
-Tensions have more and more moved away from smaller sniper incidents
to artillery shelling and incursions on the other side
-Azerbaijan has made a number of attacks on mainland Armenia with
military and civilian casualties (targets included an ambulance and a
kindergarten). Azeri media justified this with "preventing provocations
on the Armenian side"
-There is no perspective for confidence building, amid last week's and
yesterday's refusal by Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Mammadyarov to
implement OSCE calls for the removal of snipers and an investigation
mechanism for incidents on the line of contact. (see details below)
-War threats from Azerbaijan's President Aliyev and his administration
are continuing
-On 25-27 June, Armenia will simulate a general mobilisation for the
defence case of a full-scale war
"Ignoring the Presidents' agreement of Sochi, Azerbaijan now conditions
every progress on the removal of troops. For good reasons, the Madrid
Principles proposed by the Minsk-Group foresee a troop removal in
the very specific context of the other parts of the package, ensuring
that there would be no vacuum of power and security, but an interim
status guarded by international troops and guarantees.
To pre-condition all confidence building measures to a unilateral
removal of troops is more than cynical and effectively means that Baku
simply refuses all the diplomatic steps proposed by the OSCE. This
maximalist approach means further escalation." concludes Dr Michael
Kambeck, EuFoA Secretary General. "A new war would come at insane
costs to all sides, and would certainly destroy the Azerbaijani
petro-industry, the source of Azerbaijan's wealth and defence budget.
This may seem irrational but it is consistent, also with the highly
aggressive speeches of President Aliyev addressing international
audiences."
EuFoA repeats its call upon the EU and other international actors
to stop "calls upon both sides" and instead to specify more clearly
which actions are expected from each side, as otherwise the respective
sources of the problems are encouraged to continue their dangerous
behaviour. The sides should also be commended individually for
positive steps and initiatives. This will assist a more result
oriented negotiation under the OSCE Minsk Group mediation. It is a
perverted interpretation of impartiality to call upon both sides,
when some problems clearly originate from this or the other side.
Details about confidence building measures:
The OSCE, the Minsk-Group Co-Chairs and the EU have repeatedly urged
the two sides to remove their snipers from the line of contact and
implement the "Sochi agreement" for an investigation mechanism for
each of the shooting incidents. During his visit to Yerevan and Baku
last week, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, repeated this call.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Mammadyarov agreed "in principle" but
conditioned any such confidence building measure with the removal of
Armenian and Karabakhi troops. "If we start applying that mechanism
now, that will only mean reinforcing the status quo, which is
unacceptable." Cynically, he went on to explain "However, after the
troops are withdrawn, this mechanism will not be required." The same
counts for the question of removing snipers, for which he declared
"After the troops are withdrawn, snipers on the border will not be
required." Note that the two steps are meant to reduce the number
of casualties and create a climate in which the sides can agree
and implement the Madrid Principles, which include (L'Aquila - 10
July 2009):
-return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani
control
-an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for
security and self-governance
-a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh
-future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh
through a legally binding expression of will
-the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return
to their former places of residence
-international security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping
operation
EuFoA also awaited a clearer public communication from Armenia,
which Foreign Minister Nalbandyan gave last week during the meeting
with Eamon Gilmore "I would like to add, that Armenia has been and
is for the creation of the mechanisms of investigation and, unlike
Azerbaijan, when we agree on something, we do not backtrack on the
following day. I should recall that corresponding elements of the
establishment of mechanisms are included in the relevant statements
made by the Presidents of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan in March
2011 and January 2012 in Sochi. We respect those agreements and we
are for the creation of this mechanism."
Daha fazla bilgi için:
Joint Statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict by Barack Obama,
President of the United States of America, Vladimir Putin, President
of the Russian Federation, and François Hollande, President of the
French Republic at the Los Cabos Summit of the Twenty (19 June 2012):
http://translations.state.gov/st/english/texttrans/2012/06/201206187658.html#axzz1yDv1hr5i
Press release by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan (18 June 2012):
http://www.osce.org/mg/91367
Collection of war threat statements by President Ilham Aliyev
and other Azerbaijani officials (updated 18 April 2012):
http://www.eufoa.org/uploads/AliyevWarThreats.pdf
Azerbaijani FM: Incident investigation mechanism in
current situation to strengthen status quo (14 June 2012):
http://en.trend.az/news/karabakh/2037261.html
Foreign Minister Nalbandyan's address and answers to questions during
the press conference with Eamon Gilmore, OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (12 June 2012):
http://mfa.am/en/press-conference/item/2012/06/12/osce_cio_perss/
YASAL UYARI KAYNAK GÖSTERİLMEDEN YAYIMLANAMAZ VE ALINTI YAPILAMAZ
ABHaber, 20-06-2012 06.00 (TSİ)