POWERS TRY TO DERIVE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FROM KARABAKH ISSUE SETTLEMENT PROCESS, EXPERT MENTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. “Just like the “Property for Debt”
agreement, the last Armenian-Russian bargain regarding the 5th block
of Hrazdan TPP is in no way connected with the national and state
interests of Armenia,” Stepan Safarian, head of the researches of
the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS),
declared this to Noyan Tapan correspondent.

According to him, the bargain is connected with the current
geopolitical situation formed in the South Caucasus. In Safarian’s
opinion, today the Karabakh problem is the most dominating one and
has subordinated to itself other problems regarding Armenia and
Azerbaijan. In the expert’s estimation, the U.S. has become much
more active in the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement and in this
context the authorities of the two countries have appeared in a very
“pitiful” position. And for the purpose of making advantage of this
“pitiful” position, the powers, including Russia, try “to derive the
maximum benefit”.

Meanwhile, Armenia, transferring entities of strategic importance
to Russia, once more expects Russia’s assistance in failing the
settlement process or avoiding the settlement. In the expert’s
affirmation, Robert Kocharian’s conduct, as well as Russia’s
position are conditioned by the pressure of the U.S. in the issue
of Karabakh settlement. In this respect, according to Safarian,
it is rather noteworthy that the former balance was violated and
the Azerbaijani President was officially invited by U.S. President
Bush. He reminded the 2001 Key West negotiations when U.S. President
Bush received Robert Kocharian and Heydar Aliyev “only provided that
they will agree to realize the Key West principles”. “Of course,
the disappointment was great later as Heydar Aliyev refused this
variant and doing so, saved Robert Kocharian, but in any case, this
time the accents of the U.S. on Azerbaijan are obvious,” the expert
mentioned. In Safarian’s estimation, the current processes of Karabakh
settlement can be qualified as “Key West-2” but in a perfected variant
when the U.S. and the West in general apply such technologies in the
negotiations process that “the possibilities of tacking are minimal in
difference to the 2001 Key West negotiations but it is a bit difficult
to imagine in what ways these technologies will be implemented”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress