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THE DANGEROUS COMPLACENCY OF THE MEDIATORS
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1522:-the-dangerous-complacency-of-the-mediators&catid=3:all&Itemid=4
Friday, 25 July 2014 16:25
On July 22, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen held separate
meetings with Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Eduard
Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov. Immediately after the meetings,
American Co-Chairman James Warlick wrote traditionally on his Twitter
page that he was going to Vienna to inform the OSCE Secretary General
about the course of negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement.
He also informed that the OSCE Minsk Group would issue a
statement to .
Given the fact that the meetings of the Minsk Group Chairmanship took
place just a week after the incident of the penetration into the NKR
territory and neutralization of an Azerbaijani sabotage and
intelligence group, one could expect that the statement noted by James
Warlick would pay special attention to the incident and give an
adequate assessment to it. Unfortunately, the familiarity with the
text of the statement, which was made public on July 23 in Vienna, can
cause at least perplexity and disappointment. Having expressed, as
promised by Mr. Warlick, grave concern about the increase of tension
and violence in the Karabakh conflict zone, the mediators, however,
said nothing about the incident. , the statement reads.
The content of the statement once again strengthened the
opinion that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen do not intend to abandon
the longstanding practice of "parity" discrediting them. The situation
with the Azerbaijani sabotage group seems to be quite clear, because
the hostility of that terrorist action by the Azerbaijani party is
more than obvious. As they say, facts are stubborn things, and they
convincingly prove that the armed subversive group penetrated into the
NKR territory, surely, with no pacifist goals. However, even in these
conditions, the Co-Chairs behave themselves, to put it mildly,
inadequately and prefer not to notice obvious things, limiting with
general formulations, in which the responsibility for the escalation
in the conflict zone is equally incumbent on all its parties. It is
while in this particular case, the culprit of aggravation of the
situation and bloodshed is well known - it is the ruling regime of
Azerbaijan.
In the existing situation, the following question is quite reasonable:
how are the Co-Chairs going to maintain peace in the conflict zone,
not to mention the final settlement itself? One can conclude from the
statements of the OSCE Chairmen-in-Office alternating each year that
this European organization has quite a serious potential to resolve
the issues related to the establishment and maintenance of peace in
the region. We do not intend to question the possibility of the OSCE
and the sincerity of its leaders. But then what, in this case, prevent
it use its resources and arsenal at least to deter Azerbaijan
militarism and coercion official Baku to the world, to which
intermediaries constant urge the authorities of the parties prepare
their peoples? We are not going at all to question the abilities of
the OSCE and the sincerity of its leaders. Then what prevents it to
use its resources and arsenal at least to deter the Azerbaijani
militarism and to oblige official Baku to peace, for which the
mediators constantly urge the authorities of the parties to prepare
their peoples?
Meanwhile, there are strong evidences that Ilham Aliyev's regime
continues to do exactly the opposite with persistence worthy of a
better cause. It is official Baku that makes bellicose statements at
the highest level, grossly violates the ceasefire, leading to the
deaths of both servicemen and civilians, constantly commits acts of
sabotage on the Line of Contact, and makes ungrounded territorial
claims not only to Artsakh, but also to Armenia.
All this leads to the increase of violence, which is noted in the
statement. However, we believe that to limit only with "expression of
concern" in this regard is not enough. The statements by the Co-Chairs
should be clearly targeted and not general, amorphous, and therefore -
optional. Are these toothless statements able to restrain the
presumptuous aggressor, reveling in its impunity? We believe the
answer is more than obvious. Practice has shown that such a complacent
attitude of the mediators to the true culprit of destabilization of
the situation can only encourage it to further actions aimed at the
escalation of tension, which takes place in reality.
What is the way out for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen? Sometimes it
seems that they consider the confidence-building measures between the
parties to the conflict referred to in this statement almost as a
panacea to improve the situation and to establish lasting peace. But,
confidence requires, above all, respect for the political opponent and
recognition of its rights. The recent diversion and subsequent
hysterical reaction by Azerbaijan to its results demonstrated that the
authorities in Baku will not recognize the NKR as a subject of
international law and an equal negotiating partner, with which it
should reckon. And, therefore, they do not also intend to assume the
commitment to establish confidential relationship.
A few days ago, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, though on another
occasion, expressed doubt about the sincerity of the Government of
Azerbaijan, noting that "political authoritarianism is built here on
the income from oil, which will create certain problems for us". We
think the Swedish Minister's remark is quite suitable also to our
situation.
Leonid MARTIROSSIAN
Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1522:-the-dangerous-complacency-of-the-mediators&catid=3:all&Itemid=4
Friday, 25 July 2014 16:25
On July 22, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen held separate
meetings with Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Eduard
Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov. Immediately after the meetings,
American Co-Chairman James Warlick wrote traditionally on his Twitter
page that he was going to Vienna to inform the OSCE Secretary General
about the course of negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement.
He also informed that the OSCE Minsk Group would issue a
statement to .
Given the fact that the meetings of the Minsk Group Chairmanship took
place just a week after the incident of the penetration into the NKR
territory and neutralization of an Azerbaijani sabotage and
intelligence group, one could expect that the statement noted by James
Warlick would pay special attention to the incident and give an
adequate assessment to it. Unfortunately, the familiarity with the
text of the statement, which was made public on July 23 in Vienna, can
cause at least perplexity and disappointment. Having expressed, as
promised by Mr. Warlick, grave concern about the increase of tension
and violence in the Karabakh conflict zone, the mediators, however,
said nothing about the incident. , the statement reads.
The content of the statement once again strengthened the
opinion that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen do not intend to abandon
the longstanding practice of "parity" discrediting them. The situation
with the Azerbaijani sabotage group seems to be quite clear, because
the hostility of that terrorist action by the Azerbaijani party is
more than obvious. As they say, facts are stubborn things, and they
convincingly prove that the armed subversive group penetrated into the
NKR territory, surely, with no pacifist goals. However, even in these
conditions, the Co-Chairs behave themselves, to put it mildly,
inadequately and prefer not to notice obvious things, limiting with
general formulations, in which the responsibility for the escalation
in the conflict zone is equally incumbent on all its parties. It is
while in this particular case, the culprit of aggravation of the
situation and bloodshed is well known - it is the ruling regime of
Azerbaijan.
In the existing situation, the following question is quite reasonable:
how are the Co-Chairs going to maintain peace in the conflict zone,
not to mention the final settlement itself? One can conclude from the
statements of the OSCE Chairmen-in-Office alternating each year that
this European organization has quite a serious potential to resolve
the issues related to the establishment and maintenance of peace in
the region. We do not intend to question the possibility of the OSCE
and the sincerity of its leaders. But then what, in this case, prevent
it use its resources and arsenal at least to deter Azerbaijan
militarism and coercion official Baku to the world, to which
intermediaries constant urge the authorities of the parties prepare
their peoples? We are not going at all to question the abilities of
the OSCE and the sincerity of its leaders. Then what prevents it to
use its resources and arsenal at least to deter the Azerbaijani
militarism and to oblige official Baku to peace, for which the
mediators constantly urge the authorities of the parties to prepare
their peoples?
Meanwhile, there are strong evidences that Ilham Aliyev's regime
continues to do exactly the opposite with persistence worthy of a
better cause. It is official Baku that makes bellicose statements at
the highest level, grossly violates the ceasefire, leading to the
deaths of both servicemen and civilians, constantly commits acts of
sabotage on the Line of Contact, and makes ungrounded territorial
claims not only to Artsakh, but also to Armenia.
All this leads to the increase of violence, which is noted in the
statement. However, we believe that to limit only with "expression of
concern" in this regard is not enough. The statements by the Co-Chairs
should be clearly targeted and not general, amorphous, and therefore -
optional. Are these toothless statements able to restrain the
presumptuous aggressor, reveling in its impunity? We believe the
answer is more than obvious. Practice has shown that such a complacent
attitude of the mediators to the true culprit of destabilization of
the situation can only encourage it to further actions aimed at the
escalation of tension, which takes place in reality.
What is the way out for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen? Sometimes it
seems that they consider the confidence-building measures between the
parties to the conflict referred to in this statement almost as a
panacea to improve the situation and to establish lasting peace. But,
confidence requires, above all, respect for the political opponent and
recognition of its rights. The recent diversion and subsequent
hysterical reaction by Azerbaijan to its results demonstrated that the
authorities in Baku will not recognize the NKR as a subject of
international law and an equal negotiating partner, with which it
should reckon. And, therefore, they do not also intend to assume the
commitment to establish confidential relationship.
A few days ago, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, though on another
occasion, expressed doubt about the sincerity of the Government of
Azerbaijan, noting that "political authoritarianism is built here on
the income from oil, which will create certain problems for us". We
think the Swedish Minister's remark is quite suitable also to our
situation.
Leonid MARTIROSSIAN
Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper