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A DO-IT-YOURSELF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN MEDIATION IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
Published on Monday, 15 December 2014 13:50Category: Articles and
CommentaryWritten by Jon Inarritu and Urko Aiartza
A fatal ceasefire violation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict took
place on November 12th 2014 when Azerbaijan forces shot down an
unarmed helicopter from the unrecognised republic, killing all three
crewmembers. As a result, unprecedented tensions rose between the
sides, with Azerbaijan prohibiting the recovery of the three bodies,
which came down in the so-called "no-man's land", alarming the
international community.
Just weeks earlier, under the auspices of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group, the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, met in Paris
reaffirming their mutual willingness to settle the conflict peacefully.
The ceasefire agreement between Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and
Armenia was signed in 1994 and the OSCE with its Minsk Group became the
only accepted framework by all sides and the international community
to settle this apparently frozen conflict. To this day, it is the
only self-regulated ceasefire in the world. However, hostilities and
regular casualties keep the conflict alive, with the number of deaths
rocketing this summer to the highest figure since the truce.
The OSCE Minsk Group and most of the international community again
chose a very mild language referring to the downing of the helicopter.
This avoidance of the obvious facts reinforces what Azerbaijan believes
is the right way to act, which includes regular shelling, ceasefire
violations and continuous threats. Therefore, Aliyev's regime also
felt correct in its decision to deny access to the crash site for
the Red Cross and the OSCE Minsk Group to recover the bodies.
Such an irresponsible attitude could have easily led to severe
consequences.
Finally, the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army launched a risky operation
and successfully recovered the three bodies registering no casualties
during the operation and thus avoided any further escalation.
A different response could have been expected, but the Nagorno-Karabakh
Defence Army limited itself to recovering the bodies, avoiding
retaliation. Paradoxically, it was this military operation that
prevented a full-scale war this time, with catastrophic consequences
for both for the region and the western oil-dependent economies. No
one can assure that we will be this fortunate next time.
In this context, the international organizations' wordings, such
as the European Union, the OSCE, and others, "...calling on both
sides...", "...appeal to the sides to avoid steps...", seem all the
more inadequate.
The international community should use a more explicit language,
as it can otherwise generate further frustration and - what is
even more dangerous - the feeling of unfairness, abandonment and
resignation, paving the way for what exactly we are trying to avoid:
a do-it-yourself solution.
We are hopeful that the tragic loss of these three lives has helped
everyone understand that especially in diplomacy; it is also important
and has advantages to call things by their name.
Jon Inarritu is a Basque Member of the Spanish Parliament.
Urko Aiartza is a Basque Member of the Spanish Senate.
http://www.neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/1424-a-do-it-yourself-international-humanitarian-mediation-in-nagorno-karabakh
Published on Monday, 15 December 2014 13:50Category: Articles and
CommentaryWritten by Jon Inarritu and Urko Aiartza
A fatal ceasefire violation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict took
place on November 12th 2014 when Azerbaijan forces shot down an
unarmed helicopter from the unrecognised republic, killing all three
crewmembers. As a result, unprecedented tensions rose between the
sides, with Azerbaijan prohibiting the recovery of the three bodies,
which came down in the so-called "no-man's land", alarming the
international community.
Just weeks earlier, under the auspices of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group, the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, met in Paris
reaffirming their mutual willingness to settle the conflict peacefully.
The ceasefire agreement between Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and
Armenia was signed in 1994 and the OSCE with its Minsk Group became the
only accepted framework by all sides and the international community
to settle this apparently frozen conflict. To this day, it is the
only self-regulated ceasefire in the world. However, hostilities and
regular casualties keep the conflict alive, with the number of deaths
rocketing this summer to the highest figure since the truce.
The OSCE Minsk Group and most of the international community again
chose a very mild language referring to the downing of the helicopter.
This avoidance of the obvious facts reinforces what Azerbaijan believes
is the right way to act, which includes regular shelling, ceasefire
violations and continuous threats. Therefore, Aliyev's regime also
felt correct in its decision to deny access to the crash site for
the Red Cross and the OSCE Minsk Group to recover the bodies.
Such an irresponsible attitude could have easily led to severe
consequences.
Finally, the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army launched a risky operation
and successfully recovered the three bodies registering no casualties
during the operation and thus avoided any further escalation.
A different response could have been expected, but the Nagorno-Karabakh
Defence Army limited itself to recovering the bodies, avoiding
retaliation. Paradoxically, it was this military operation that
prevented a full-scale war this time, with catastrophic consequences
for both for the region and the western oil-dependent economies. No
one can assure that we will be this fortunate next time.
In this context, the international organizations' wordings, such
as the European Union, the OSCE, and others, "...calling on both
sides...", "...appeal to the sides to avoid steps...", seem all the
more inadequate.
The international community should use a more explicit language,
as it can otherwise generate further frustration and - what is
even more dangerous - the feeling of unfairness, abandonment and
resignation, paving the way for what exactly we are trying to avoid:
a do-it-yourself solution.
We are hopeful that the tragic loss of these three lives has helped
everyone understand that especially in diplomacy; it is also important
and has advantages to call things by their name.
Jon Inarritu is a Basque Member of the Spanish Parliament.
Urko Aiartza is a Basque Member of the Spanish Senate.
http://www.neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/1424-a-do-it-yourself-international-humanitarian-mediation-in-nagorno-karabakh