Armenian analyst says current situation with Upper Garabagh conflict suitable
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Dec 7 2004
Political analyst Isgandarian, head of the research department of
the Caucasus Media Institute, told Armenia’s “Yerkir” newspaper
last week that the Cyprus model may be used in settling the Upper
Garabagh conflict.
“The Cyprus conflict has a long history. The Greek part of Cyprus has
been recently admitted to the European Union although the conflict
has not been resolved yet. Europeans have simply faced the reality,”
Isgandarian said.
The analyst said that he has come to such a conclusion after his
visits to Turkey and West European countries.
According to Isgandarian, there are tens of conflict zones similar to
Upper Garabagh in the Caucasus. “If Armenia recognizes the independence
of Upper Garabagh, this may spark concerns of the international
community only for a short period and will not considerably change
the current situation,” he said.
Isgandarian said he doesn’t believe in Azerbaijan’s statements on
launching a war. He stressed that the society must be changed itself
in order to bring the Azerbaijan Army to a high level.
“It is impossible to achieve this within a short period of time. Even
Turkish generals cannot be helpful in this area. If Azerbaijan launches
a war, the country will witness inter-group struggles within two or
three weeks. However, Azerbaijan’s war and anti-Armenian propaganda
is an adequate step for the country from the viewpoint of political
strategy which is not related to war.”
The political analyst added that the present-day situation with the
Upper Garabagh conflict settlement is suitable for Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Western countries.*