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OSKANIAN: YEREVAN AND STEPANAKERT SHOULD SIGN AGREEMENT ON NKR'S SECURITY GUARANTEES
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
Analysis | 24.10.12 | 14:40
On his Facebook page Armenia's ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs,
current member of the Prosperous Armenia Party Vartan Oskanian has
suggested that Armenia sign an agreement with Karabakh guaranteeing
the unrecognized republic security against outside aggreesion. At the
same time, Oskanian acknowledges that it can be done without formally
recognizing the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).
(Oskanian has regularly posted his views on different issues of concern
to Armenia online. His recent posts have been viewed from the prism
of his possible bid to stand for president in the 2013 ballot).
Oskanian's suggestion is not new. It is something that the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutyun) has been suggesting for
years. Still, the ARF believes recognizing the NKR would be desirable.
However, the ruling Republican Party and Armenia's Foreign Ministry
have consistently rejected all bills on formally recognizing NKR's
independence that has been proposed by another parliamentary party,
Heritage, in the past few years.
Oskanian believes that in the current international situation Armenia
should be expressing its position more clearly. In particular, it
concerns the controversial extradition by Hungary of Ramil Safarov,
a confessed Azerbaijani murderer of an Armenian, to Baku, as well as
such issues as Turkey's meddling in the internal affairs of Syria,
the escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia on the one hand
and of Iran and Azerbaijan on the other hand.
The former foreign minister accused his successor, Edward Nalbandian,
who is currently on a tour of Latin America, of "being on diplomatic
tours during the crucial moments for the region".
Armenia has not been vocal in stating its positions on international
affairs, moreover, oftentimes official Yerevan does not want to
articulate its own claims. But at the level of public discussions
these issues become more and more urgent.
A number of Armenian experts, in particular political analyst Igor
Muradyan, believe that after the extradition of Safarov and his
glorification in Azerbaijan, an unprecedented favorable environment
has been created for Armenia to end the current negotiations on the
Karabakh conflict settlement and recognize the independence of NKR.
Experts believe that the international community would have treated
such a step with understanding. However, Yerevan has been inert and
slow in formulating its stance on the matter.
Meanwhile, Oskanian suggests moving from recognizing Karabakh right
to self-determination further to reaffirming its independence. He
says the two sovereign Armenian states should sign an agreement at the
presidential level on security guarantees to Karabakh. "At this moment
this, without NKR's recognition, may become a message to Azerbaijan
that Armenia has taken the first step towards the recognition of
Karabakh's independence," said the former foreign minister. Oskanian
also suggests that the current president of Armenia withdraw the
Armenian-Turkish protocols from the Parliament.
Foreign policy is likely to become one of the key subjects in the
upcoming presidential campaign. This topic has never been discussed
in earnest during presidential elections before as it was patently
clear that Armenia would continue its foreign policy conditioned on
its strong reliance on Russia making it practically impossible for
authorities in Yerevan to take independent steps.
Now the situation is changing and discussions are centering around
what orientation Armenia is going to have in its foreign policy
and how pro-active it should be in carrying it out. In particular,
lately the expert community and civil society representatives in
Armenia have actively been discussing the controversial statement
by leading Russian pundit Mikhail Leontyev who argued that without
Russia Armenia would not exist in its current form. Despite the fact
that no reaction came to that statement at the level of the government
and political parties, the general tone of the discussion in Russia
revealed that Moscow was clearly concerned about Armenia's looking
for foreign-policy alternatives.
From: A. Papazian
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
Analysis | 24.10.12 | 14:40
On his Facebook page Armenia's ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs,
current member of the Prosperous Armenia Party Vartan Oskanian has
suggested that Armenia sign an agreement with Karabakh guaranteeing
the unrecognized republic security against outside aggreesion. At the
same time, Oskanian acknowledges that it can be done without formally
recognizing the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).
(Oskanian has regularly posted his views on different issues of concern
to Armenia online. His recent posts have been viewed from the prism
of his possible bid to stand for president in the 2013 ballot).
Oskanian's suggestion is not new. It is something that the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutyun) has been suggesting for
years. Still, the ARF believes recognizing the NKR would be desirable.
However, the ruling Republican Party and Armenia's Foreign Ministry
have consistently rejected all bills on formally recognizing NKR's
independence that has been proposed by another parliamentary party,
Heritage, in the past few years.
Oskanian believes that in the current international situation Armenia
should be expressing its position more clearly. In particular, it
concerns the controversial extradition by Hungary of Ramil Safarov,
a confessed Azerbaijani murderer of an Armenian, to Baku, as well as
such issues as Turkey's meddling in the internal affairs of Syria,
the escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia on the one hand
and of Iran and Azerbaijan on the other hand.
The former foreign minister accused his successor, Edward Nalbandian,
who is currently on a tour of Latin America, of "being on diplomatic
tours during the crucial moments for the region".
Armenia has not been vocal in stating its positions on international
affairs, moreover, oftentimes official Yerevan does not want to
articulate its own claims. But at the level of public discussions
these issues become more and more urgent.
A number of Armenian experts, in particular political analyst Igor
Muradyan, believe that after the extradition of Safarov and his
glorification in Azerbaijan, an unprecedented favorable environment
has been created for Armenia to end the current negotiations on the
Karabakh conflict settlement and recognize the independence of NKR.
Experts believe that the international community would have treated
such a step with understanding. However, Yerevan has been inert and
slow in formulating its stance on the matter.
Meanwhile, Oskanian suggests moving from recognizing Karabakh right
to self-determination further to reaffirming its independence. He
says the two sovereign Armenian states should sign an agreement at the
presidential level on security guarantees to Karabakh. "At this moment
this, without NKR's recognition, may become a message to Azerbaijan
that Armenia has taken the first step towards the recognition of
Karabakh's independence," said the former foreign minister. Oskanian
also suggests that the current president of Armenia withdraw the
Armenian-Turkish protocols from the Parliament.
Foreign policy is likely to become one of the key subjects in the
upcoming presidential campaign. This topic has never been discussed
in earnest during presidential elections before as it was patently
clear that Armenia would continue its foreign policy conditioned on
its strong reliance on Russia making it practically impossible for
authorities in Yerevan to take independent steps.
Now the situation is changing and discussions are centering around
what orientation Armenia is going to have in its foreign policy
and how pro-active it should be in carrying it out. In particular,
lately the expert community and civil society representatives in
Armenia have actively been discussing the controversial statement
by leading Russian pundit Mikhail Leontyev who argued that without
Russia Armenia would not exist in its current form. Despite the fact
that no reaction came to that statement at the level of the government
and political parties, the general tone of the discussion in Russia
revealed that Moscow was clearly concerned about Armenia's looking
for foreign-policy alternatives.
From: A. Papazian