VARTAN OSKANIAN: DOCUMENT PROPOOSED BY CO-CHAIRS IS NOT A PERFECT ONE, BUT THERE ARE ENOUGH SOLID AND BALANCED PROVISIONS, WITH RIGHT TRADE-OFFS ON THE MAIN ISSUES

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 29 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. "The actual
negotiating document on the principles that is on the table today
is all-encompassing. It covers all the principles affecting the
resolution of the conflict. It includes the core issue of status of
Nagorno Karabakh, territories, refugees, security issues, peacekeeping
and every other conceivable issue that is necessary in order to
arrive at a lasting resolution of the conflict." The Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian stated this, when commenting, at the request
of the mass media, on the June 22 statement of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. In his words, "only after full agreement on all these basic
principles would the parties, as the actual negotiating text says, "in
cooperation with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group to begin work
on the elaboration of an agreement on the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. In other words, the agreement on principles will
be comprehensive. The final agreement may envision implementation
over time."

Asked about what the co-chairs’ "special modalities" for Kelbajar
and Lachin are ( "the principles include the phased redeployment of
Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories around Nagorno Karabakh,
with special modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin districts"), Vartan
Oskanian replied:

"This formulation is indeed very broad, and for a reason. This
issue has two layers. One is the issue of Lachin, where the actual
negotiating text on principles provides clear language stating that
there will be "a corridor linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia." For
Armenia, it’s very clear that this corridor must have the same status
as Nagorno Karabakh. The second layer is the issue of Kelbajar. For
Armenia, this also is clear: based on security concerns, Kelbajar can
be returned only after the referendum is conducted and the final status
of NK is determined. Azerbaijan’s position is different on Kelbajar.

That’s the disagreement that the co-chairs are addressing in their
statement.

The co-chairs’ language in the actual negotiating text, with regard
to this issue, is generally in line with our approach."

The co-chairs say that there will be a referendum / popular vote
"to determine the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh," but they
don’t say who will vote. According to the Armenian foreign minister,
" the actual negotiating text on principles clearly specifies that
"the final legal status will be determined through a referendum /
population vote by the population of Nagorno Karabakh."

The co-chairs also say "certain interim arrangements for Nagorno
Karabakh would allow for interaction with providers of international
assistance." In the words of V. Oskanian, "this is only one element
of a much more detailed section in the actual negotiating text
which addresses interim status for Nagorno Karabakh." "We think the
co-chairs have emphasized international engagement, because that’s
a major problem for the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Their current,
unrecognized, de-facto status, has not allowed them to benefit
from the generosity of international organizations. In the actual
negotiating text, the provisions address such rights as control over
their political and economic viability and security, upholding their
personal privileges and freedoms, the right to democratically elect
officials to govern Nagorno Karabakh, the authority to effectively
legislate and administer the internal affairs of Nagorno Karabakh,"
the Armenian foreign minister noted.

In response to the question about what Armenia’s overall assessment
of the content of the document is, Vartan Oskanian stated: "This not
a perfect document. For anyone. However, there are enough solid and
balanced provisions, with the right trade-offs on the main issues –
status, territories and security – that we are prepared to continue
to negotiate on the basis of these principles. In today’s context,
Azerbaijan’s rhetoric about autonomy and desperate calls for
militarization surprise us. We have at hand a real opportunity to
resolve all issues, including the much-maligned issue of refugees. But
Azerbaijan must revert to real situations and real opportunities,
rather than illusory maximalist hopes. Today, we hope that Azerbaijan
will realize that we have a chance to resolve the conflict and achieve
a lasting peace."