Tweet
RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN: DESPITE ODDS, CONFIDENT MOOD IN KARABAKH
Noyan Tapan
2012-03-29 22:28:27
Armenian residents still as determined as ever to win international acceptance.
By Richard Giragosian - Caucasus
CRS Issue 635,
27 Mar 12
After 20 difficult years living in Azerbaijan's shadow, Armenians in
Nagorny Karabakh appear increasingly confident about the future.
Although the conflict remains unresolved and Karabakh has not won
international recognition as a separate state, people there remain
steadfast about holding onto their hard-won independence.
Progress on building a new state and establishing a political process
continues regardless of the problems. In fact, Nagorny Karabakh's
electoral record suggests its democratic credentials are better than
Armenia's, let alone Azerbaijan's.
Such developments tend to be ignored by outsiders, for whom Karabakh
is either a focus for geopolitical competition or the subject of
mediation by major powers like France, Russia and the United States.
On the ground, though, perspectives and priorities are quite different.
For most people in Karabakh, the most pressing concern is the state
of the economy, rather than the dormant peace process. While proud
of their republic, they struggle to make ends meet, and many rely on
money sent back from relatives working abroad. And as the situation
has deteriorated in recent years, some residents will admit - albeit
reluctantly and in private - that they too are thinking of leaving
in search of work. Young people, too, acknowledge that they worry
about finding work once they graduate.
Take Anna, a 23-year old holding down a job in one of the better
hotels in the local capital Stepanakert. Her sense of satisfaction
with having a steady and reasonably well-paid job is tempered by
frustration and regret.
"I like my work and I'm happy - but I am also ashamed," she told me.
"I am sad because I do have a job while my brothers and my father
can't find work. And my friends are jealous. I feel guilty sometimes,
and sad too."
The general lack of optimism about the economy and job prospects also
applies to politics. Asked about the upcoming parliamentary election in
neighbouring Armenia in May, very few people expressed much interest.
"Sure, the Armenian election is obviously important, but not so
much for us," Tevan, 21, a university student studying politics
and international relations, said. "In any case, everyone knows the
outcome - the Republican Party will win. But that doesn't really affect
us here in Karabakh. The real difference is that here in Karabakh,
every election that we've ever had has been free and fair, whereas
in Armenia, I can't remember any free or fair election."
This strong sense of pride in Karabakh's democratic credentials - which
many feel is not sufficiently appreciated elsewhere - is widespread.
As Anahit, a middle-aged housewife put it, "We are never going to
leave our lands, and you must understand that we'll never ever accept
anyone trying to hand us back to the Azerbaijanis. After all, we are
free, strong, and living in a democracy. Why we would we ever want
to revert to Azerbaijan?"
As justification for this position, other residents noted that February
19 marked the eighth anniversary of the murder of an Armenian army
officer by an Azerbaijani soldier while both were attending a NATO
course in Hungary. Memories of the incident reinforce fears of
Azerbaijan, especially as some officials there hailed the murderer
as a true patriot.
The escalating tensions along the front line that separates
Armenian-held territory from Azerbaijan, with sniper fire that is now
almost routine, only seem to make Karabakh's residents more determined
to claim independence.
The threat of renewed conflict is never far from people's minds. This
underlying mood continues to permeate Karabakh. People living in
border areas believe an Azerbaijani attack is increasingly likely,
although they believe the Karabakh military would be able to fend
off any assault.
In urban centres, the possibility of war in nearby Iran is also
a preoccupation.
According to Hamlet, a father of four, "It isn't like we are siding
with the Iranians. But we don't want war to return to this region. We
can remember what war is really like, and no one deserves that again.
We trade with the Iranians, and Iran has never betrayed us by
supporting Azerbaijan as the Turks did. But I am worried."
War with Iran would, Hamlet said, harm Karabakh's already frail
economy.
"If there is war, the [Iranian] trucks will stop coming and, God
forbid, the Azeris may think they can attack us if there is a war
going on nearby," he said.
The danger of renewed hostilities with Azerbaijan is real enough. The
divide between how Armenians and Azerbaijanis see Karabakh's future
remains insurmountable. And since the Karabakh Armenians are blocked
from participating in the peace talks, which involve Yerevan and Baku
only, the chances of progress seem remote.
For the people of Karabakh, the next two decades are likely to be full
of challenges just as daunting as those they have weathered over the
past twenty years.
Richard Giragosian is director of the Regional Studies Centre, an
independent think tank in Yerevan, Armenia.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/despite-odds-confident-mood-karabakh
Noyan Tapan
2012-03-29 22:28:27
Armenian residents still as determined as ever to win international acceptance.
By Richard Giragosian - Caucasus
CRS Issue 635,
27 Mar 12
After 20 difficult years living in Azerbaijan's shadow, Armenians in
Nagorny Karabakh appear increasingly confident about the future.
Although the conflict remains unresolved and Karabakh has not won
international recognition as a separate state, people there remain
steadfast about holding onto their hard-won independence.
Progress on building a new state and establishing a political process
continues regardless of the problems. In fact, Nagorny Karabakh's
electoral record suggests its democratic credentials are better than
Armenia's, let alone Azerbaijan's.
Such developments tend to be ignored by outsiders, for whom Karabakh
is either a focus for geopolitical competition or the subject of
mediation by major powers like France, Russia and the United States.
On the ground, though, perspectives and priorities are quite different.
For most people in Karabakh, the most pressing concern is the state
of the economy, rather than the dormant peace process. While proud
of their republic, they struggle to make ends meet, and many rely on
money sent back from relatives working abroad. And as the situation
has deteriorated in recent years, some residents will admit - albeit
reluctantly and in private - that they too are thinking of leaving
in search of work. Young people, too, acknowledge that they worry
about finding work once they graduate.
Take Anna, a 23-year old holding down a job in one of the better
hotels in the local capital Stepanakert. Her sense of satisfaction
with having a steady and reasonably well-paid job is tempered by
frustration and regret.
"I like my work and I'm happy - but I am also ashamed," she told me.
"I am sad because I do have a job while my brothers and my father
can't find work. And my friends are jealous. I feel guilty sometimes,
and sad too."
The general lack of optimism about the economy and job prospects also
applies to politics. Asked about the upcoming parliamentary election in
neighbouring Armenia in May, very few people expressed much interest.
"Sure, the Armenian election is obviously important, but not so
much for us," Tevan, 21, a university student studying politics
and international relations, said. "In any case, everyone knows the
outcome - the Republican Party will win. But that doesn't really affect
us here in Karabakh. The real difference is that here in Karabakh,
every election that we've ever had has been free and fair, whereas
in Armenia, I can't remember any free or fair election."
This strong sense of pride in Karabakh's democratic credentials - which
many feel is not sufficiently appreciated elsewhere - is widespread.
As Anahit, a middle-aged housewife put it, "We are never going to
leave our lands, and you must understand that we'll never ever accept
anyone trying to hand us back to the Azerbaijanis. After all, we are
free, strong, and living in a democracy. Why we would we ever want
to revert to Azerbaijan?"
As justification for this position, other residents noted that February
19 marked the eighth anniversary of the murder of an Armenian army
officer by an Azerbaijani soldier while both were attending a NATO
course in Hungary. Memories of the incident reinforce fears of
Azerbaijan, especially as some officials there hailed the murderer
as a true patriot.
The escalating tensions along the front line that separates
Armenian-held territory from Azerbaijan, with sniper fire that is now
almost routine, only seem to make Karabakh's residents more determined
to claim independence.
The threat of renewed conflict is never far from people's minds. This
underlying mood continues to permeate Karabakh. People living in
border areas believe an Azerbaijani attack is increasingly likely,
although they believe the Karabakh military would be able to fend
off any assault.
In urban centres, the possibility of war in nearby Iran is also
a preoccupation.
According to Hamlet, a father of four, "It isn't like we are siding
with the Iranians. But we don't want war to return to this region. We
can remember what war is really like, and no one deserves that again.
We trade with the Iranians, and Iran has never betrayed us by
supporting Azerbaijan as the Turks did. But I am worried."
War with Iran would, Hamlet said, harm Karabakh's already frail
economy.
"If there is war, the [Iranian] trucks will stop coming and, God
forbid, the Azeris may think they can attack us if there is a war
going on nearby," he said.
The danger of renewed hostilities with Azerbaijan is real enough. The
divide between how Armenians and Azerbaijanis see Karabakh's future
remains insurmountable. And since the Karabakh Armenians are blocked
from participating in the peace talks, which involve Yerevan and Baku
only, the chances of progress seem remote.
For the people of Karabakh, the next two decades are likely to be full
of challenges just as daunting as those they have weathered over the
past twenty years.
Richard Giragosian is director of the Regional Studies Centre, an
independent think tank in Yerevan, Armenia.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/despite-odds-confident-mood-karabakh