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Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Aug 10 2014
What do the three presidents meet for?
10 August 2014 - 10:55pm
Oleg Kusov. Exclusively for VK
The meeting that the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents held
today was the 11th in the 21st century. Russian President Vladimir
Putin has been taking part in the talks since September 2004, when he
attended the meeting held in Astana. Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev attended all 11 meetings, his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan only ten, but all three incumbent presidents met in Sochi for
the first time. In 2004 Putin and Aliyev met with Robert Kocharyan,
who then served as the head of the Armenian state.
Then there was a gap of four years, as the next trilateral meeting
took place only in 2008. In November 2004 the so-called "Moscow
marathon" began. Within four years the three presidents met nine
times! This period differed greatly from the 90s, when not only
trilateral but even bilateral meetings were rare. However the
political atmosphere at those times was quite different. The Bishkek
peace protocol was signed in May 1994 and bloodshed stopped. It was
necessary to stabilize the situation. All parties, including Moscow,
had their own position on the way the conflict should be resolved, but
no one wanted to put pressure on its partners, risking the fragile
peace. President Aliyev decided to focus on developing the Azerbaijani
economy, based on production of oil and gas and construction of
pipelines to Turkey via the territory of Georgia. In order to pursue
its own interests the country had to establish a successful economy.
Armenia was facing the same challenge, it also had to draft an
economic strategy. The economic situation in Armenia was the most
difficult in the South Caucasus. Armenia ignored four UN resolutions
calling for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan issued in 1993.
Despite the position of the international community, Karabakh and
seven districts of Azerbaijan remain occupied by the Armenian forces.
Still, many believed that the OSCE Minsk Group established in March
1992 would be able to resolve the conflict soon.
The "Moscow marathon" took place, when Dmitry Medvedev served as the
Russian president. According to politicians and experts, it was the
Madrid principles that were discussed during the meeting held within
this period. The Madrid principles were suggested to the parties
involved in the conflict in 2007. However the text of the document was
not published. According to official representatives of Azerbaijan,
the document called for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. The
Armenian authorities, however, stressed that the principles drafted in
Madrid called for Karabakh's self-determination. Some experts said
that the Russian president urged the parties to draft a new document.
Presidents Dmitry Medvedev, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan met for
the first time on November 2, 2008. The participants of the trilateral
meeting signed a joint declaration. There were no legal formulas in
this document. The declaration only specified the main principles of
the conflict resolution. "The parties are willing to contribute to the
improvement of the situation in the South Caucasus and the formation
of an atmosphere of stability and security in the region through a
political resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the
principles of international law. The parties have agreed that in order
to secure a peaceful resolution of the conflict they should be
provided with legal guarantees by the international community," the
declarations said. After that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
ordered their foreign ministers to enhance peace efforts backed by the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
On June 4, 2009 another trilateral meeting was held in St. Petersburg
in the framework of the international economic forum held in the city.
On July 18 the three presidents met in Moscow. Neither summit produced
results. In St. Petersburg they even failed to make a joint statement
to the press. The Russian president's press secretary tried to stress
that the meeting was useful anyway. "The very fact that the meeting
took place shows that the parties are ready to maintain dialogue aimed
at a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict," the press
secretary said. Following the Moscow meeting the three presidents did
not even appear together in the presidential horse race. Journalists
paid special attention to this fact.
On January 25, 2015 another trilateral meeting was held in Sochi. The
meeting was held in the middle of the ratification process of
Turkish-Armenian agreement. The process concerned the Karabakh
conflict resolution as well. According to Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov, during the Sochi summit the parties almost agreed the
opening passage of the Madrid principles - two years after the
document was first drafted. In summer 2010 another St. Petersburg
international economic forum was held. Ilham Alieyv and Serzh
Sargsyan, who both attended the event, met on June 17. Once again the
presidents focused on the Karabakh conflict. Before the meeting
journalists were discussing whether any progress in the peace talks is
possible at all. The meeting held in St. Petersburg showed that the
dialogue is continuing even though no progress has been made so far.
The third trilateral meeting took place the same year, on October 27.
The three presidents met in Astrakhan. The most optimistic statement
was made by President Dmitry Medvedev right before the talks started.
However the meeting itself did not produce any results.
Politicians were much more optimistic after the trilateral meeting
held in Sochi on March 5, 2011. The presidents issued a joint
statement, according to which they were committed to continue dialogue
aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The most promising was the meeting held in Kazan on June 24, 2011. It
was expected that the president would agree the basic principles of
the Madrid document. However it was not done. The parties only
declared that they are willing to secure a peaceful resolution of
conflict.
The tenth and the last meeting for President Medvedev was held in
Sochi on January 23, 2012, on the initiative of the Russian president.
Reporters said that the meeting was merely formal. According to them,
it was the end of President Medvedev's peacemaking efforts.
The nine trilateral meetings organized by President Dmitry Medvedev
produced no results. The parties did not come closer to a resolution
of the Karabakh conflict. What caused President Medvedev's peace
efforts? There are several possible answers to this question. Some say
Moscow was afraid that foreign powers might unfreeze the Karabakh
conflict and send a peacekeeping contingent to the region in order to
put pressure on Iran. At the time, politicians and experts were
seriously discussing the possibility of a US military operation
against the country. Others believed that the reason was the
Russian-Georgian war and Moscow's desire to secure Abkhazia's and
South Ossetia's independence. Others said that Medvedev wanted to look
like a peacekmaker for the coming elections. There are also other
possible answers. Dmitry Medvedev himself believed that his role in
the peace process was positive. "I paid much attention to the issue. I
guess no other politician was so active in this field. I believe it
was necessary and good work. We managed to approach a resolution of
the conflict. I am absolutely certain about that," he told Azerbaijani
journalists before leaving the Kremlin.
Intensive talks tend to prevent wars. Whether President Medvedev
believed in that or not is unclear. Anyway, during his reign meetings
of the three presidents were especially frequent and no military
conflict took place. One can say that this alone was a remarkable
achievement.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/58652.html
Aug 10 2014
What do the three presidents meet for?
10 August 2014 - 10:55pm
Oleg Kusov. Exclusively for VK
The meeting that the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents held
today was the 11th in the 21st century. Russian President Vladimir
Putin has been taking part in the talks since September 2004, when he
attended the meeting held in Astana. Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev attended all 11 meetings, his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan only ten, but all three incumbent presidents met in Sochi for
the first time. In 2004 Putin and Aliyev met with Robert Kocharyan,
who then served as the head of the Armenian state.
Then there was a gap of four years, as the next trilateral meeting
took place only in 2008. In November 2004 the so-called "Moscow
marathon" began. Within four years the three presidents met nine
times! This period differed greatly from the 90s, when not only
trilateral but even bilateral meetings were rare. However the
political atmosphere at those times was quite different. The Bishkek
peace protocol was signed in May 1994 and bloodshed stopped. It was
necessary to stabilize the situation. All parties, including Moscow,
had their own position on the way the conflict should be resolved, but
no one wanted to put pressure on its partners, risking the fragile
peace. President Aliyev decided to focus on developing the Azerbaijani
economy, based on production of oil and gas and construction of
pipelines to Turkey via the territory of Georgia. In order to pursue
its own interests the country had to establish a successful economy.
Armenia was facing the same challenge, it also had to draft an
economic strategy. The economic situation in Armenia was the most
difficult in the South Caucasus. Armenia ignored four UN resolutions
calling for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan issued in 1993.
Despite the position of the international community, Karabakh and
seven districts of Azerbaijan remain occupied by the Armenian forces.
Still, many believed that the OSCE Minsk Group established in March
1992 would be able to resolve the conflict soon.
The "Moscow marathon" took place, when Dmitry Medvedev served as the
Russian president. According to politicians and experts, it was the
Madrid principles that were discussed during the meeting held within
this period. The Madrid principles were suggested to the parties
involved in the conflict in 2007. However the text of the document was
not published. According to official representatives of Azerbaijan,
the document called for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. The
Armenian authorities, however, stressed that the principles drafted in
Madrid called for Karabakh's self-determination. Some experts said
that the Russian president urged the parties to draft a new document.
Presidents Dmitry Medvedev, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan met for
the first time on November 2, 2008. The participants of the trilateral
meeting signed a joint declaration. There were no legal formulas in
this document. The declaration only specified the main principles of
the conflict resolution. "The parties are willing to contribute to the
improvement of the situation in the South Caucasus and the formation
of an atmosphere of stability and security in the region through a
political resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the
principles of international law. The parties have agreed that in order
to secure a peaceful resolution of the conflict they should be
provided with legal guarantees by the international community," the
declarations said. After that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
ordered their foreign ministers to enhance peace efforts backed by the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
On June 4, 2009 another trilateral meeting was held in St. Petersburg
in the framework of the international economic forum held in the city.
On July 18 the three presidents met in Moscow. Neither summit produced
results. In St. Petersburg they even failed to make a joint statement
to the press. The Russian president's press secretary tried to stress
that the meeting was useful anyway. "The very fact that the meeting
took place shows that the parties are ready to maintain dialogue aimed
at a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict," the press
secretary said. Following the Moscow meeting the three presidents did
not even appear together in the presidential horse race. Journalists
paid special attention to this fact.
On January 25, 2015 another trilateral meeting was held in Sochi. The
meeting was held in the middle of the ratification process of
Turkish-Armenian agreement. The process concerned the Karabakh
conflict resolution as well. According to Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov, during the Sochi summit the parties almost agreed the
opening passage of the Madrid principles - two years after the
document was first drafted. In summer 2010 another St. Petersburg
international economic forum was held. Ilham Alieyv and Serzh
Sargsyan, who both attended the event, met on June 17. Once again the
presidents focused on the Karabakh conflict. Before the meeting
journalists were discussing whether any progress in the peace talks is
possible at all. The meeting held in St. Petersburg showed that the
dialogue is continuing even though no progress has been made so far.
The third trilateral meeting took place the same year, on October 27.
The three presidents met in Astrakhan. The most optimistic statement
was made by President Dmitry Medvedev right before the talks started.
However the meeting itself did not produce any results.
Politicians were much more optimistic after the trilateral meeting
held in Sochi on March 5, 2011. The presidents issued a joint
statement, according to which they were committed to continue dialogue
aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The most promising was the meeting held in Kazan on June 24, 2011. It
was expected that the president would agree the basic principles of
the Madrid document. However it was not done. The parties only
declared that they are willing to secure a peaceful resolution of
conflict.
The tenth and the last meeting for President Medvedev was held in
Sochi on January 23, 2012, on the initiative of the Russian president.
Reporters said that the meeting was merely formal. According to them,
it was the end of President Medvedev's peacemaking efforts.
The nine trilateral meetings organized by President Dmitry Medvedev
produced no results. The parties did not come closer to a resolution
of the Karabakh conflict. What caused President Medvedev's peace
efforts? There are several possible answers to this question. Some say
Moscow was afraid that foreign powers might unfreeze the Karabakh
conflict and send a peacekeeping contingent to the region in order to
put pressure on Iran. At the time, politicians and experts were
seriously discussing the possibility of a US military operation
against the country. Others believed that the reason was the
Russian-Georgian war and Moscow's desire to secure Abkhazia's and
South Ossetia's independence. Others said that Medvedev wanted to look
like a peacekmaker for the coming elections. There are also other
possible answers. Dmitry Medvedev himself believed that his role in
the peace process was positive. "I paid much attention to the issue. I
guess no other politician was so active in this field. I believe it
was necessary and good work. We managed to approach a resolution of
the conflict. I am absolutely certain about that," he told Azerbaijani
journalists before leaving the Kremlin.
Intensive talks tend to prevent wars. Whether President Medvedev
believed in that or not is unclear. Anyway, during his reign meetings
of the three presidents were especially frequent and no military
conflict took place. One can say that this alone was a remarkable
achievement.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/58652.html