Conflicts hamper economic development in South Caucasus – OSCE chairman

Aravot, Yerevan
30 Mar 05

Unsettled conflicts in the South Caucasus hamper the region’s economic
development, Slovenia’s foreign minister and OSCE chairman-in-office,
Dimitrij Rupel, has told the Armenian news agency Mediamax. There will
be no real prosperity in the South Caucasus, traditional economic ties
will not be restored and the involvement of foreign investment will
remain a difficult problem until the conflicts are settled, he
said. At the same time, Rupel stressed that the OSCE supports the
dialogue and peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and added that the
organization has been working hard to ensure progress in the Karabakh
peace talks. The following is the text of the Mediamax news agency
report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 30 March headlined “The parties
should be confident about the expediency of the peace
agreement”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

An exclusive interview with the OSCE chairman-in-office, Dimitrij
Rupel.

OSCE’s role is to stimulate the peace process

[Aravot correspondent] At the beginning of the year you gave quite an
optimistic assessment to the Prague process of the Karabakh
settlement. What is the reason for such optimism?

[Dimitrij Rupel] I am closely following the developments within the
framework of the Prague process. I recently discussed this problem
with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. I understand that the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers are involved in a constructive
dialogue, which may ensure significant progress in the negotiations.

[Correspondent] The authorities of Nagornyy Karabakh that represent
the interests of about 140,000 Armenians declare from time to time
that they have to participate in the negotiating process. Azerbaijan
is against this. Do you not think that with this obvious disagreement
the peace process will not yield real results?

[Rupel] The two parties are mainly responsible for the conflict
settlement. The role of the OSCE is to stimulate the peace
process. Thus, the OSCE will support any format of the negotiations
that may ensure progress and is agreed to by the two countries.

[Correspondent] From time to time, Azerbaijan criticizes the OSCE
Minsk Group. Why is the OSCE silently listening to those accusations
and not making Azerbaijan return to the agreements reached in Paris
and Key West in 2001. There is a viewpoint that in that period, the
parties had to make only one step and sign a peace agreement.

[Rupel] The task of the OSCE Minsk Group is to ensure that the parties
have a relevant negotiating format. Since the moment of its
establishment, the OSCE Minsk Group has been working hard to make
progress in the peace process. At the same time, the Minsk Group can
aspire to dialogue and peace only together with the two countries. The
settlement of the conflict is possible only if both parties are sure
that a peace agreement is advantageous.

Armenian-Turkish relations

[Correspondent] Do you not think that the European Union is making a
moral mistake by studying the issue of the Armenian genocide only in a
political, not humanitarian context. In 2002, you visited the memorial
to the victims of the genocide in Yerevan and said that you will
instruct Slovenian experts to learn the problem of the Armenian
genocide of 1915. What conclusion did the experts make?

[Rupel] When I visited Armenia as Slovenia’s foreign minister three
years ago, President Kocharyan told me that Armenia had unsettled
problems with its neighbours. Armenian-Turkish relations are one of
those important problems. I agree that the history of any country is
very important, every country should know and respect its history. But
any country also wants a better future. In this sense, we should not
forget about the wider context of Turkey’s integration into the
European Union, which will have a positive effect on Turkey, as well
as on the whole region. I think Turkey’s relations with the Caucasus
countries, including Armenia, will develop in a new format, which will
create more favourable opportunities for overcoming unsettled
historical problems.

Conflicts hamper economic development in the South Caucasus

[Correspondent] If we look at the publications of the world press, we
shall get the impression that the Georgian and Ukrainian events have
become a “watershed” that worsened disagreements between Russia and
the OSCE even more.

[Rupel] Russia is playing a very important role in the Caucasus and is
actively involved in the process of settling the Georgian-Abkhaz,
Georgian-Ossetian and Nagornyy Karabakh conflicts. For this reason,
Slovenia, as a chairman of the OSCE, thinks it necessary to cooperate
with Moscow closely on matters concerning this region.

[Correspondent] You represent a state that has successfully overcome
the transition period and is a member of the European Union and NATO
today. The South Caucasus states started reforms 15 years ago, but
they are still far from “New Europe”, as well as from the civilized
democracies of western Europe. What is the main reason for this?

[Rupel] There are significant differences between the three states,
but I can say that we support the strategic choice of the South
Caucasus states in favour of democratic reforms. We are closely
following the efforts made in the sphere of legislation, which form
the basis of dynamic development. But the implementation of the new
laws is also important and one can achieve an improvement in the
situation here.

There will be no real prosperity in the South Caucasus until the
conflicts are settled. Traditional economic ties will not be restored
and the involvement of foreign investment will remain a difficult
problem until the conflicts are settled. The refugee problem will not
be settled either. We know what kind of heavy burden it is for the
economies of the region.
From: Baghdasarian