“QARVATCHAR CAN BY NO MEANS BE HANDED OVER TO AZERBAIJAN”
Azg/arm
11 Feb 05
Davit Babayan, 32, is a political analyst from Stepanakert with a
masterâ~@~Ys degree in international relations of Central European
University in Budapest and American University of Armenia. He
was participant of a number of conferences on Caucasian issues in
Moscow, Sofia, Warsaw, Hungary and Austria. He is author of around
50 scientific publications.
– Davit, you were accompanying the OSCE monitoring group during its
mission in territories under Nagorno Karabakh forcesâ~@~Y control. You
said in Qarvatchar that that region should by no means be handed
over to Azerbaijan because of its geopolitical location and its
water resources.
– Qarvatchar can be considered one of the vital territories securing
Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. Mountainous landscape makes it ideal
for defense. Besides, the most important rivers of Armenia, Tartar,
Khachen, Arpa and Vorotan originate here. Arpa and Vorotan are the
only guarantee for Sevana Lakeâ~@~Ys viability. Passing this territory
over to Azerbaijan will mean giving it a powerful weapon for putting
pressure on Artsakh and Armenia. Baku has already practiced such a
policy in 1970s and 1980s that resulted in upsurge of new diseases.
Nagorno Karabakh was leading in the number of people affected with
those infections in the South Caucasus. Besides, Baku constantly
proclaimed that Armenians bury nuclear waste in Qarvatchar. If they
take hold of the territory they may poison our water resources blaming
the alleged nuclear waste that Armenians buried.
– Davit, the monitoring group accomplished its technical mission. What
do you think may the possible developments in Karabakh issueâ~@~Ys
resolution be after the report on situation?
– Things may develop in various directions as neither the conflicting
sides nor the international institutions will show identical
approach to it. I would divide the possible developments into
outer and inner. Itâ~@~Ys not excluded that there will be outside
forces trying to put certain points of the report against us. They
will use the tactics of dragging humanitarian issues to political
sphere. For instance, after being convinced that there is no state
policy of inhabiting the territories supervised by Karabakh and
that thousands of people living there are refugees from Getashen,
Shahumian, Martakert, Baku and elsewhere, these forces will manipulate
the fact that hundreds of thousands Azeris live in tents and demand
that those people return. Such demands certainly will not help
conflictâ~@~Ys regulation. But I think that this approach will not
dominate international community. The work of the monitoring group
and the conditions Nagorno Karabakh creates will have a positive
impact on the republic, proving once again that Nagorno Karabakh is a
democratic and free state. This is an immensely important moment that
will surely play into our hands. As to inner developments, societies
in both Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh may make their demands to
the authorities. Our society may demand that a state program of
inhabiting the liberated territories elaborated and realized. And
the Azerbaijani society may demand that Baku puts more pressure on
international circles in the issue of refugees.
– Do you think it possible that the international community will
force Armenia and Karabakh to return part of the territories at least
since there are no Armenian settlers and no inhabitation is in process
while thousands of Azeris suffer hardship?
– I donâ~@~Yt think that the international community will force
Nagorno Karabakh to hand over any territory. The issue of territories
is political and is linked with Karabakhâ~@~Ys status.
– Azeri press was arguing lately that the US might use the territory
of Karabakh in case it attacks Iran. Do you think it possible?
– I think that such talks are political manipulations targeting at
aggravating Armenian-US and Armenian-Iranian relations. Even if there
is a military action between America and Iran, the US will use its
air force. In this view, the territory of Karabakh cannot be used as
there is no runway there. Any overland operation also seems unlikely
as the width of Arax River in Karabakh is 65-110 meters, depth â~@~S
1.1-1.8 and the current reaches 1-2.5 meters per second. Besides,
the Iranian border at this location is mountainous and there are many
strategic hills. From this perspective, Azerbaijanâ~@~Ys territory
is better for the US.
By Tatoul Hakobian
–Boundary_(ID_n+Sv/Eeg5JEXVYBGzhpGCA)–