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UNEXPECTED POINT: KARABAKH CONFLICT FEATURES AMONG CONDITIONS PACE SET TO RUSSIA
Analysis | 02.02.15 | 10:15
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent
Apparently, the Karabakh conflict is becoming one of the points of
confrontation in Europe and Russia. After Russia was stripped of the
right to vote at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), it was stated that one of the conditions of its return is
the Karabakh problem.
"The head of the Assembly Anne Brasseur said that... for the powers
to be returned to the Russian delegation it is necessary to carry
out the points of the resolution ("the withdrawal of troops from
Transnistria, the return of the Crimea, progress in resolving the
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the release of [jailed Ukrainian pilot
and MP Nadezhda] Savchenko within 24 hours, etc.)," writes the Russian
official news agency RIA Novosti.
This is a rather unexpected point, because until now the West -
the United States and Europe - have not openly accused Russia of
preventing progress in the Karabakh settlement. The co-chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group on the Karabakh settlement are Russia, the United
States and France, and so far this format has played an important
role - maintaining the status quo, preventing the resumption of
hostilities, preparation of proposals and organization of negotiations
on the conflict settlement as well as prevention of the domination
of interests of one of the three mediating powers.
The co-chairmanship format exists even in conditions of the West-Russia
standoff when Moscow is subject to strict international sanctions
and isolation. The Karabakh subject is perhaps the only one on which
the presidents of the three countries in recent years have made four
joint statements.
Analytical circles in Armenia wonder why Europe has put forward
progress in the Karabakh conflict as one of the conditions for Moscow.
What is it that Russia doing or not doing in the Karabakh issue? What
are the positions of the West?
All three countries - the United States, Russia, France - once backed
the settlement plan that implies that Azerbaijan recognizes the rights
of the Karabakh people to self-determination, Karabakh troops withdraw
from part of the territory they currently control, communications are
unblocked and peacekeepers are introduced. In Armenia and Azerbaijan
they disagree with some points of this plan, but most importantly,
now it does not suit the mediator countries.
In particular, rapprochement between Russia and Azerbaijan is now
obvious as Baku gets most of its weapons from Russia today. Two other
mediators, as a matter of principle and by law, do not sell weapons
to Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan voted
against the resolution to strip Russia of its voting rights at the
PACE, and Armenia abstained in that vote.
Russia and Azerbaijan are being subjected to pressure from the West,
they suffer losses from lower oil prices, and Armenian experts say that
there comes a favorable moment to finally resolve the Karabakh problem
with the support of the West. This can be either the recognition of
Karabakh's independence, for example, by Uruguay and other countries,
or forcing Azerbaijan to the sign the agreement that is unacceptable
to it. Moreover, it can be done in the context of the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide and the beginning of the revision of the
results of the First World War.
Although experts do not exclude that even now, like after the First
World War, some countries - Russia, Turkey, Germany - will manage to
come to agreement, and again at the expense of Armenians.
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/60249/armenia_karabakh_europe_russia_standoff
Analysis | 02.02.15 | 10:15
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent
Apparently, the Karabakh conflict is becoming one of the points of
confrontation in Europe and Russia. After Russia was stripped of the
right to vote at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), it was stated that one of the conditions of its return is
the Karabakh problem.
"The head of the Assembly Anne Brasseur said that... for the powers
to be returned to the Russian delegation it is necessary to carry
out the points of the resolution ("the withdrawal of troops from
Transnistria, the return of the Crimea, progress in resolving the
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the release of [jailed Ukrainian pilot
and MP Nadezhda] Savchenko within 24 hours, etc.)," writes the Russian
official news agency RIA Novosti.
This is a rather unexpected point, because until now the West -
the United States and Europe - have not openly accused Russia of
preventing progress in the Karabakh settlement. The co-chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group on the Karabakh settlement are Russia, the United
States and France, and so far this format has played an important
role - maintaining the status quo, preventing the resumption of
hostilities, preparation of proposals and organization of negotiations
on the conflict settlement as well as prevention of the domination
of interests of one of the three mediating powers.
The co-chairmanship format exists even in conditions of the West-Russia
standoff when Moscow is subject to strict international sanctions
and isolation. The Karabakh subject is perhaps the only one on which
the presidents of the three countries in recent years have made four
joint statements.
Analytical circles in Armenia wonder why Europe has put forward
progress in the Karabakh conflict as one of the conditions for Moscow.
What is it that Russia doing or not doing in the Karabakh issue? What
are the positions of the West?
All three countries - the United States, Russia, France - once backed
the settlement plan that implies that Azerbaijan recognizes the rights
of the Karabakh people to self-determination, Karabakh troops withdraw
from part of the territory they currently control, communications are
unblocked and peacekeepers are introduced. In Armenia and Azerbaijan
they disagree with some points of this plan, but most importantly,
now it does not suit the mediator countries.
In particular, rapprochement between Russia and Azerbaijan is now
obvious as Baku gets most of its weapons from Russia today. Two other
mediators, as a matter of principle and by law, do not sell weapons
to Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan voted
against the resolution to strip Russia of its voting rights at the
PACE, and Armenia abstained in that vote.
Russia and Azerbaijan are being subjected to pressure from the West,
they suffer losses from lower oil prices, and Armenian experts say that
there comes a favorable moment to finally resolve the Karabakh problem
with the support of the West. This can be either the recognition of
Karabakh's independence, for example, by Uruguay and other countries,
or forcing Azerbaijan to the sign the agreement that is unacceptable
to it. Moreover, it can be done in the context of the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide and the beginning of the revision of the
results of the First World War.
Although experts do not exclude that even now, like after the First
World War, some countries - Russia, Turkey, Germany - will manage to
come to agreement, and again at the expense of Armenians.
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/60249/armenia_karabakh_europe_russia_standoff