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NALBANDYAN'S EXPECTATIONS ARE "TOO OPTIMISTIC"
http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/11/06/127537/
November 6, 2012 15:56
"I allow myself to treat with reservations the statement of Eduard
Nalbandyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia,
that the international community has strongly condemned the extradition
and pardon of Ramil Safarov," Vahram Atanesyan, the chairman of the
foreign affairs committee of the Nagorno-Karabakh National Assembly,
said during a conversation with www.aravot.am yesterday, adding,
"Some member states of the OSCE Minsk Group such as Turkey, Belarus
and others haven't talked about this phenomenon at all. Not Safarov's
extradition, but rather his pardon has been condemned by the co-chair
countries of the OSCE Minsk Group with different emphases. I cannot
say that there has been a consolidated, consensual condemnation."
According to our interlocutor, in such situations, the Foreign
Ministers of the Minsk Group co-chair countries or the three co-chairs
usually make a joint statement. However, we first saw the response of
the US State Department, then the response of the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and only then the response of the Russian Federation
Foreign Ministry press secretary. "I don't think that as a result of
Safarov's extradition, the international community did not perceive
the actions of Azerbaijan the way it should have done," Vahram
Atanesyan thinks as opposed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia. Let us remind that yesterday the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, talking about the meeting of the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Minsk Group co-chairs
that had taken place in Paris, said that the main purpose of it was
to bring Azerbaijan to constructive negotiations.
He also noted, "The international community expressed its attitude
toward Azerbaijan's behavior with a respective response. There is
no country, no organization, which hasn't strongly condemned, hasn't
expressed its indignation with this step," he said, adding that the
only unchanged thing was the necessity for Armenia and the co-chairs
to make Azerbaijan agree that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had to be
solved by peaceful means. "Before that, Azerbaijan took a step backward
not only in Kazan, but also in Sochi before that, earlier in Astrakhan,
St. Petersburg, actually rejecting all offers made by the co-chairs
with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, it created
a situation, in which Azerbaijan, rejecting the negotiation process,
actually, wished to disrupt negotiations. Thus, one should have taken
[a step, ed.], in order that negotiations continued. If there is a
party that wants to disrupt the negotiations, it is the Azerbaijani
side. The three co-chairs initiated the return of Azerbaijan to the
negotiation table," the Minister said, adding that the story related
to Safarov was a blow to the negotiation process.
"I have said and stick to my opinion that it will be hard for the
Armenian sides to negotiate with Azerbaijan from now on," Vahram
Atanesyan said, sharing Nalbandyan's opinion that in Kazan, Astrakhan
and St. Petersburg, Azerbaijan had undermined the negotiations,
but as a Nagorno-Karabakh Republic politician stuck to his personal
opinion that Azerbaijan would continue to reject all offers to
peacefully settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and he thought
that having expectations that one could make Azerbaijan be more
constructive, bring it to the negotiation table was too optimistic,
to say the least. "Azerbaijan doesn't have an intention to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It has rejected, rejects and will reject
all offers. Certainly, Armenia, as a member of the international
community, the UN, a party directly involved in the OSCE Minsk
Group process, should show a positive attitude toward any attempt
to resume the negotiations. In this regard, the Foreign Minister's
optimistic assessments are understandable and acceptable - we should do
everything not to waste an opportunity to continue the negotiations,"
our interlocutor states, drawing the attention of the international
community, mediators and co-chairmen once again to the fact that
there is only one option of settling the conflict for Azerbaijan -
to restore what is written in their Constitution, in which the term
"Nagorno-Karabakh" is not mentioned.
Vahram Atanesyan thinks that in this case, the issue should gradually
be turned into the course of de facto recognizing the independence of
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, "So the logic should be applied that
if Azerbaijan rejects any offer of the mediators given the political
elite's intentions, an alternative to that is the international
community's legitimization of the actual situation. In that sense,
I welcome Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan's optimism. Yes, one
should continue, one should try to convince the international community
around the negotiation table that Azerbaijan has no intention to settle
the conflict peacefully, in order that the international community
draws a respective conclusion. Certainly, strengthening the defense
capabilities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of
Armenia at the same time, to increase the army's armaments, solve
practical, concrete issues, as, for example, putting the Stepanakert
airport into operation."
N. GRIGORYAN
http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/11/06/127537/
November 6, 2012 15:56
"I allow myself to treat with reservations the statement of Eduard
Nalbandyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia,
that the international community has strongly condemned the extradition
and pardon of Ramil Safarov," Vahram Atanesyan, the chairman of the
foreign affairs committee of the Nagorno-Karabakh National Assembly,
said during a conversation with www.aravot.am yesterday, adding,
"Some member states of the OSCE Minsk Group such as Turkey, Belarus
and others haven't talked about this phenomenon at all. Not Safarov's
extradition, but rather his pardon has been condemned by the co-chair
countries of the OSCE Minsk Group with different emphases. I cannot
say that there has been a consolidated, consensual condemnation."
According to our interlocutor, in such situations, the Foreign
Ministers of the Minsk Group co-chair countries or the three co-chairs
usually make a joint statement. However, we first saw the response of
the US State Department, then the response of the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and only then the response of the Russian Federation
Foreign Ministry press secretary. "I don't think that as a result of
Safarov's extradition, the international community did not perceive
the actions of Azerbaijan the way it should have done," Vahram
Atanesyan thinks as opposed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia. Let us remind that yesterday the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, talking about the meeting of the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Minsk Group co-chairs
that had taken place in Paris, said that the main purpose of it was
to bring Azerbaijan to constructive negotiations.
He also noted, "The international community expressed its attitude
toward Azerbaijan's behavior with a respective response. There is
no country, no organization, which hasn't strongly condemned, hasn't
expressed its indignation with this step," he said, adding that the
only unchanged thing was the necessity for Armenia and the co-chairs
to make Azerbaijan agree that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had to be
solved by peaceful means. "Before that, Azerbaijan took a step backward
not only in Kazan, but also in Sochi before that, earlier in Astrakhan,
St. Petersburg, actually rejecting all offers made by the co-chairs
with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, it created
a situation, in which Azerbaijan, rejecting the negotiation process,
actually, wished to disrupt negotiations. Thus, one should have taken
[a step, ed.], in order that negotiations continued. If there is a
party that wants to disrupt the negotiations, it is the Azerbaijani
side. The three co-chairs initiated the return of Azerbaijan to the
negotiation table," the Minister said, adding that the story related
to Safarov was a blow to the negotiation process.
"I have said and stick to my opinion that it will be hard for the
Armenian sides to negotiate with Azerbaijan from now on," Vahram
Atanesyan said, sharing Nalbandyan's opinion that in Kazan, Astrakhan
and St. Petersburg, Azerbaijan had undermined the negotiations,
but as a Nagorno-Karabakh Republic politician stuck to his personal
opinion that Azerbaijan would continue to reject all offers to
peacefully settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and he thought
that having expectations that one could make Azerbaijan be more
constructive, bring it to the negotiation table was too optimistic,
to say the least. "Azerbaijan doesn't have an intention to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It has rejected, rejects and will reject
all offers. Certainly, Armenia, as a member of the international
community, the UN, a party directly involved in the OSCE Minsk
Group process, should show a positive attitude toward any attempt
to resume the negotiations. In this regard, the Foreign Minister's
optimistic assessments are understandable and acceptable - we should do
everything not to waste an opportunity to continue the negotiations,"
our interlocutor states, drawing the attention of the international
community, mediators and co-chairmen once again to the fact that
there is only one option of settling the conflict for Azerbaijan -
to restore what is written in their Constitution, in which the term
"Nagorno-Karabakh" is not mentioned.
Vahram Atanesyan thinks that in this case, the issue should gradually
be turned into the course of de facto recognizing the independence of
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, "So the logic should be applied that
if Azerbaijan rejects any offer of the mediators given the political
elite's intentions, an alternative to that is the international
community's legitimization of the actual situation. In that sense,
I welcome Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan's optimism. Yes, one
should continue, one should try to convince the international community
around the negotiation table that Azerbaijan has no intention to settle
the conflict peacefully, in order that the international community
draws a respective conclusion. Certainly, strengthening the defense
capabilities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of
Armenia at the same time, to increase the army's armaments, solve
practical, concrete issues, as, for example, putting the Stepanakert
airport into operation."
N. GRIGORYAN