“NO OTHER DOCUMENT ON KARABAKH IS SO PRO-AZERI AS ATKINSON’S REPORT”

Azg/arm
18 Dec 04

Kazimirov’s Letter to PACE Reads

Vladimir Kazimirov, former personal representative of the Russian
president on Karabakh issue in 1992-1996, sent a letter to PACE
reporter on Nagorno Karabakh, David Atkinson, expressing his discontent
with the emphasized pro-Azeri nature of the latter’s report.

Kazimirov particularly points out Atkinson’s statement that
the ceasefire was reached due to OSCE Minsk group in May 12 of
1994, whereas it was due to Russia’s efforts, and the Minsk group
co-chairmanship was organized in December of 1994 and the personal
representative was appointed after the truce.

“The most important international documents on Nagorno Karabakh
always maintained the balance in order to make it easy for the sides
to compromise. None of them has ever been so single-mindedly pro-Azeri
as yours”, Kazimirov wrote.

The former Russian broker being a well-informed specialist in the
Karabakh issue and someone who visited the region for 47 times
reminds Atkinson that his and Davis’ reports pay little attention
to the history of the confrontation, to the war of 1992-1994 and the
process of regulation.

“Many issues in the conflict were the result of both sides’ actions,
yet your projects pin the whole blame on the Armenian side. I am
not trying to justify the Armenians, I only say that we need to be
impartial in assessing the actions of both sides. Moreover, the very
Azerbaijan was standing for settling the Karabakh issue by means of
force, who was rejecting all the steps to ease the tension”, he wrote.

Kazimirov underlines that Nagorno Karabakh in the UN formulas and
OSCE documents was directly or indirectly recognized as a side in
the conflict: “Only your formulae overlooks this issue and recognize
Armenia and Azerbaijan as sides, thus playing into Bakuâ~@~Ys
hands”. He also reminds that the OSCE Budapest summit mentioned of
the three sides of the conflict.

“Azerbaijan is the side in conflict and not the Azeri population in
Nagorno Karabakh. There is no difference in Azerbaijan’s and Karabakh’s
Azeri population’s standpoints”, he said and went on condemning
Atkinson for emphasizing the importance of Karabakh’s Azeri community:
“Is it appropriate to use terms like “London’s British community”,
or “Baku’s Azeri community”, or “Moscow’s Russian community”?”.

Kazimirov is amazed that the Davis-Atkinson report refers to the UN
Security Council’s 4 formulae but only accents the demand to withdraw
Armenian armed forces. “Before the May of 1994, that is more than
1 year, (after UN Security Council adopted first formula- ed.) the
Azeri authorities, which were obstinately neglecting the key demand
of the 4 formulae and were continuing to bet on settling the issue
through force, broke the ceasefire several times. Azerbaijan agreed
on ceasefire under the threat of all-out defeat and loss of power
and not for accomplishing the UN Security Council’s formulae. The
Armenians also had many problems but they turned to be more flexible
and constructive”, Kazimirov reminded and added: “The territorial
take-over, increase of the refugees is on Azerbaijan’s conscience as
well, and not only Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh”.

The Russian diplomat accepts that the Armenians do not withdraw their
forces from the occupied territories and claim the package settlement
of the conflict. But “in fact, the Azeri authorities have not realized
any demand within the 4 UN formulae”. “Today they carry out nothing
either. Moreover, they demand that Turkey keep on maintaining the
blockade of Armenia, threatens with resuming the war time after time,
encourages anti-Armenian hysteria in Azerbaijan but there is no word
about this (in Atkinson’s report – ed)”.

Kazimirov reminds at the end that Armenian has full control only over
5 regions and partial over two 2 and not 8 as Atkinson claims. The
Russian diplomat notes that Azerbaijan also has occupied Armenian
territories such as Artsvashen. Kazimirov rounds off the letter with
hope that such an authoritative organization as the PACE will be able
to demonstrate a balanced approach in the Karabakh conflict.

By Tatoul Hakobian

–Boundary_(ID_ZM/PdTySqd1eTXPmiwna5Q)–