OSCE REPORT MAY TURN INTO A HEADACHE FOR ARMENIA

Azg/arm
30 March 05

Stepan Safarian, expert at the Strategic and National Research Center,
thinks that the report of OSCE Minsk group’s fact-finding mission may
result in world community’s attempts to solve the issue of neighboring
territories separately, leaving the issue of Nagorno Karabakh for
future.

The Cooperation for Open Society called a round table on March 28
inviting NGO representatives, politicians, political scientists and
experts to discuss the report of the fact-finding mission.

Safarian pointed out to the threats that Armenia may face in
future. The impression Safarian got from the report is that all
neighboring territoriesof Nagorno Karabakh but Lachin are out of
control, something that Azerbaijan continuously claims. The report
notes that the region of Lachin was inhabited under direct supervision
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The last fact, Safarian thinks, may
result in manipulations in future. But the most dangerous thingthat
may happen is that the neighboring regions can be viewed separately
from Karaba kh settlement.

Varuzhan Nersisian from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs almost
repeated all the paragraphs of a March 17 press release by the
Ministry, which said thatthe fact-finding mission refuted accusations
of Baku made at the UN in fall of 2004.

The report dispelled particularly Azerbaijan’s claims that the number
of inhabitants in neighboring regions of Karabakh is from 30 to 300
thousand, that Armenia conducts a state-financed policy of
inhabitation and that most of the settlers are citizens of Armenia or
Diaspora. Nersisian agreed that the report “cannot be put aside” but
added that it might be considered success for Armenia in the
diplomatic sphere.

Paruyr Hayrikian labeled the report “a shameful defeat” for
Armenia. He asked the Foreign Ministry representative whether there
was no Armenian at the Ministry to say “we do inhabit the territories
and will continue doing so”. Nersisian said that there is no lack of
patriots at the Ministry but the issue is considered from the angle of
international rights.

Political scientist Aghasi Yenoqian hailed the report “an awful
document”. He posed a rhetoric question, “If we are not allowed to
inhabit the territories, why did we take them over?”

We have to explain to the outsiders why the Armenian forces took under
complete control 5 and partial control 2 neighboring regions of
Karabakh. Meanwhile, Yenoqian’s meaningless rhetoric speech can only
surprise.

By Tatoul Hakobian