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FROM TREATY OF GULISTAN TO TODAY'S REALITY: EXPERTS SAY 200 YEARS ON, RUSSO-PERSIAN PEACE DEAL STILL RELEVANT
http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/49499/armenia_roundtable_treaty_gulistan_russia_karabakh
KARABAKH | 25.10.13 | 09:25
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Treaty of Gulistan concluded two centuries ago between the Persian
and Russian empires regarding control of the South Caucasus still
has importance today, according to experts in Armenia and Russia.
Advisor to the Russian ambassador to Armenia, head of the
Rossotrudnichestvo agency Viktor Krivopuskov believes that the treaty
signed exactly 200 years ago marked the beginning of modern drastic
geopolitical change in the region.
After the end of the Russo-Persian war in which the Persian Empire
was defeated, the two sides signed a peace treaty under which Moscow
took control over vast territory in the South Caucasus, including
the Karabakh khanate. What became known as the Treaty of Gulistan
was signed on October 12 (24), 1813.
A roundtable dedicated to the anniversary was hosted by the
Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University in Yerevan on Thursday.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of the event, the Russian
diplomat, who was a member of the operative-investigative group of
the USSR Interior Ministry working in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous
Oblast in 1990, said that although quite a long time has passed after
the conclusion of the treaty, it still does not mean that the story
connected with the Treaty of Gulistan and the way preceding it should
be forgotten.
"There is a direct connection. Russia is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group. Today Russia, too, as it is noted in the Treaty of Gulistan,
is undoubtedly interested in the preservation of peace in this region,"
said Krivopuskov.
Leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan said that
the Treaty of Gulistan had led to the historical reality that the
Armenian people has been with the Russian people for 200 years,
having had both achievements and losses during this period, but not
choosing another way.
The Treaty of Gulistan became an occasion for discussions in recent
days in the wake of an open letter by prominent Armenian publicist Zori
Balayan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he essentially
urges Russia to restore its dominance in the South Caucasus, including
in Nagorno-Karabakh.
But according to Sargsyan, the main purpose of Balayan's letter was
to demonstrate that "historically and legally there was no notion of
Azerbaijan in this region and Balayan draws the attention of Russia
to the fact that Azerbaijan gets its privileges out of geopolitical
interests."
Directory of the Institute of History of Armenia's National Academy
of Sciences Ashot Melkonyan said that historically Armenia has
sufficiently demonstrated its loyalty to Russia and as a member of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization Russia certainly has a lot to
do in this region to fairly resolve the current geopolitical realities.
"We should constantly remind our strategic ally that the 1921 treaties
of Moscow and Kars, as a result of which Armenia lost nearly half of
its territory, are unacceptable to us. As strategic allies we should
know one important thing - yes, we do expect Russian support in this
matter, in particular in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and most probably
have the right to expect that among the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs
Russia will have a more decisive role in finding a fair solution to
this problem," stressed Melkonyan.
http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/49499/armenia_roundtable_treaty_gulistan_russia_karabakh
KARABAKH | 25.10.13 | 09:25
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Treaty of Gulistan concluded two centuries ago between the Persian
and Russian empires regarding control of the South Caucasus still
has importance today, according to experts in Armenia and Russia.
Advisor to the Russian ambassador to Armenia, head of the
Rossotrudnichestvo agency Viktor Krivopuskov believes that the treaty
signed exactly 200 years ago marked the beginning of modern drastic
geopolitical change in the region.
After the end of the Russo-Persian war in which the Persian Empire
was defeated, the two sides signed a peace treaty under which Moscow
took control over vast territory in the South Caucasus, including
the Karabakh khanate. What became known as the Treaty of Gulistan
was signed on October 12 (24), 1813.
A roundtable dedicated to the anniversary was hosted by the
Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University in Yerevan on Thursday.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of the event, the Russian
diplomat, who was a member of the operative-investigative group of
the USSR Interior Ministry working in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous
Oblast in 1990, said that although quite a long time has passed after
the conclusion of the treaty, it still does not mean that the story
connected with the Treaty of Gulistan and the way preceding it should
be forgotten.
"There is a direct connection. Russia is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group. Today Russia, too, as it is noted in the Treaty of Gulistan,
is undoubtedly interested in the preservation of peace in this region,"
said Krivopuskov.
Leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan said that
the Treaty of Gulistan had led to the historical reality that the
Armenian people has been with the Russian people for 200 years,
having had both achievements and losses during this period, but not
choosing another way.
The Treaty of Gulistan became an occasion for discussions in recent
days in the wake of an open letter by prominent Armenian publicist Zori
Balayan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he essentially
urges Russia to restore its dominance in the South Caucasus, including
in Nagorno-Karabakh.
But according to Sargsyan, the main purpose of Balayan's letter was
to demonstrate that "historically and legally there was no notion of
Azerbaijan in this region and Balayan draws the attention of Russia
to the fact that Azerbaijan gets its privileges out of geopolitical
interests."
Directory of the Institute of History of Armenia's National Academy
of Sciences Ashot Melkonyan said that historically Armenia has
sufficiently demonstrated its loyalty to Russia and as a member of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization Russia certainly has a lot to
do in this region to fairly resolve the current geopolitical realities.
"We should constantly remind our strategic ally that the 1921 treaties
of Moscow and Kars, as a result of which Armenia lost nearly half of
its territory, are unacceptable to us. As strategic allies we should
know one important thing - yes, we do expect Russian support in this
matter, in particular in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and most probably
have the right to expect that among the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs
Russia will have a more decisive role in finding a fair solution to
this problem," stressed Melkonyan.