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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Oct 26 2014
France hosts Karabakh talks
TBILISI - Agence France-Presse
French President Francois Hollande hosts leaders from Armenia and
Azerbaijan today as Europe makes a fresh push to end the festering
conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.
Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited both
countries last week after a sharp escalation in violence over the
disputed region in recent months as war raged in Ukraine.
Although few expect a breakthrough after more than two decades of
bloodshed, it is `important to bring the two presidents together, to
call on them to work together, to get back to the table to reduce
tensions,' a French diplomatic source said ahead of the summit.
Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized the mountainous region,
which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, from Azerbaijan in a
war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 people dead.
Despite years of internationally mediated negotiations since the 1994
ceasefire, the two sides have not yet signed a final peace deal on
Karabakh.
Oil-rich Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state
budget, has threatened to take back the region by force if
negotiations do not yield results.
Armenia, heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.
Last August saw a dramatic surge in violence across the countries'
border and along the Karabakh frontline as more than 20 troops died in
the deadliest clashes since the ceasefire.
Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have escalated as Russia
confronts the West over Ukraine, where government forces are battling
pro-Russian separatists.
`What happened in Ukraine has had a direct impact' on the conflict, a
source in Hollande's entourage said, adding that Russia's annexation
of Crimea `exacerbated the climate.'
`Moscow holds the keys to the conflict's solution, but is
intentionally not using its levers as it has an interest in keeping
the status quo, in maintaining its influence over Azerbaijan and,
especially, Armenia,' Shahin Abbasov, an independent Azerbaijani
analyst, told AFP.
Abbasov said that by hosting talks in Paris, Hollande `aims at
depriving (Russian President Vladimir) Putin of his role as an
exclusive arbiter' in the conflict.
A French diplomat admitted that Hollande will face an uphill battle in
his efforts to facilitate the Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue.
`It would be extremely surprising to have concrete progress. But there
is a will from President Hollande to make progress with both parties,
to have a dialogue,' the diplomat said.
Hollande will hold separate meetings with Azerbaijani President Ä°lham
Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sarkisian.
October/26/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/france-hosts-karabakh-talks-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73497&NewsCatID=359
Oct 26 2014
France hosts Karabakh talks
TBILISI - Agence France-Presse
French President Francois Hollande hosts leaders from Armenia and
Azerbaijan today as Europe makes a fresh push to end the festering
conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.
Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited both
countries last week after a sharp escalation in violence over the
disputed region in recent months as war raged in Ukraine.
Although few expect a breakthrough after more than two decades of
bloodshed, it is `important to bring the two presidents together, to
call on them to work together, to get back to the table to reduce
tensions,' a French diplomatic source said ahead of the summit.
Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized the mountainous region,
which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, from Azerbaijan in a
war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 people dead.
Despite years of internationally mediated negotiations since the 1994
ceasefire, the two sides have not yet signed a final peace deal on
Karabakh.
Oil-rich Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state
budget, has threatened to take back the region by force if
negotiations do not yield results.
Armenia, heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.
Last August saw a dramatic surge in violence across the countries'
border and along the Karabakh frontline as more than 20 troops died in
the deadliest clashes since the ceasefire.
Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have escalated as Russia
confronts the West over Ukraine, where government forces are battling
pro-Russian separatists.
`What happened in Ukraine has had a direct impact' on the conflict, a
source in Hollande's entourage said, adding that Russia's annexation
of Crimea `exacerbated the climate.'
`Moscow holds the keys to the conflict's solution, but is
intentionally not using its levers as it has an interest in keeping
the status quo, in maintaining its influence over Azerbaijan and,
especially, Armenia,' Shahin Abbasov, an independent Azerbaijani
analyst, told AFP.
Abbasov said that by hosting talks in Paris, Hollande `aims at
depriving (Russian President Vladimir) Putin of his role as an
exclusive arbiter' in the conflict.
A French diplomat admitted that Hollande will face an uphill battle in
his efforts to facilitate the Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue.
`It would be extremely surprising to have concrete progress. But there
is a will from President Hollande to make progress with both parties,
to have a dialogue,' the diplomat said.
Hollande will hold separate meetings with Azerbaijani President Ä°lham
Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sarkisian.
October/26/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/france-hosts-karabakh-talks-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73497&NewsCatID=359