MEDIA ALERT
DATE: September 19, 2006
TO: Media Colleagues
RE: Diplomatic Traffic interview with NKR Representative
Today, the DiplomaticTraffic.com, an online periodical of the East
West Communications, published an interview with NKR Representative
to the U.S. Vardan Barseghian. Representative Barseghian’s interview
is included below.
You can also view it at:
=163
***
Nagorno-Karabakh: ‘There is no going back for us’
By Thomas Cromwell
With the collapse of the Soviet Union the world became aware of the
complexity of peoples and nations that made up the diversity of the
USSR but that had long been submerged beneath the monolithic façade
of communist rule. Especially under Stalin, many ethnic groups had
been forced to leave their traditional lands or were incorporated
into Soviet states where they didn’t belong. One of these was
Nagorno Karabakh, which in 1921 Moscow had made part of the
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, even though the majority of
the population was Armenian.
On September 2, 1991, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic declared
independence, in step with other former Soviet states. (A Soviet law
passed in 1990 allowed for Soviet autonomous entities, such as
Karabakh, to decide their own future if their ‘parent’ republic
leaves the Soviet Union.) This in effect meant declaring
independence from Azerbaijan, and soon a war was underway between
Armenia-backed forces in Karabakh and Azerbaijan, whose territory
completely surrounded the Soviet-era Karabakh enclave.
With the Karabakh population 73 percent ethnic Armenian at
independence, resistance to Azerbaijan was successful, despite the
heavy odds against them. By the time a ceasefire was agreed in 1994,
Armenian forces controlled Karabakh proper (which as an autonomous
oblast under the Soviets was just 1,699 square miles) and most of
the territory between Armenia and Karabakh.
The modern era conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which began as a
peaceful request in 1988, forced some 350,000 Armenians to flee
Azerbaijan (including 30,000 from Karabakh), mostly to Armenia, and
some 700,000 Azeris to flee Armenia and Karabakh (40,000 from the
latter), as well as Karabakh-controlled areas of Azerbaijan. Other
refugees or internally displaced persons were relatively small
groups of Russians and Kurds. A decade on, the future for most of
the displaced persons is still uncertain.
However, in a recent interview with DiplomaticTraffic.com,
Nagorno-Karabakh’s representative to the United States, Vardan
Barseghian, said that although not recognized formally by any
government, Karabakh’s continued march to secure lasting
independence is irreversible. "There is no going back for us," he
said. "Just because Stalin gave Karabakh to Azerbaijan does not mean
that the international community has to reinforce what Stalin did."
He continued: "What [Stalin] did at the beginning of the last
century was against the will of our people. And now we are at the
beginning of the 21st Century."
So far, negotiations among the key players since the 1994 ceasefire,
notably through the OSCE’s Minsk Group, have produced a lot of
statements and occasional glimmers of hope, but no concrete progress
on a lasting political solution.
But, clearly, Karabakh is not waiting for others to decide its
future. It has been working to shore up its defenses while steadily
improving its economy and the lot of its 145,000 people. Barseghian
noted that GDP doubled from 2001 to 2005 (increasing to $114 million
from $53 million), and economic growth last year was 14 percent.
Investments have been in telecoms, gold mining, diamond polishing,
jewelry and agriculture. During Soviet times, Karabakh was the
biggest per-capita producer of grapes in the USSR. Karabakh is also
known for its Mulberry brandy, called Tti Oghi locally. "It is a
beautiful country," Barseghian said, offering prospects for tourism
development. Some 4,000 foreigners visited in 2005.
Although Karabakh is still a very poor country in a seemingly
precarious political situation, its people are evidently working
hard to improve their economy and prospects for the future.
Nevertheless, there are some major obstacles to overcome for
economic development. The capital Stepanakert’s airport cannot
receive large passenger planes, due to a lack of over-flight rights
for the Azeri territory they would have to cross for safe landings
and take-offs. Hence all international air travelers and freight
have to pass through Yerevan, the Armenian capital that is 5-6
hours’ drive away. There is a good road connecting Karabakh to
Yerevan, but there is still much need for infrastructure development
within Karabakh itself.
Asked about possible recognition of their republic, Barseghian said
"there are positive tendencies" in that direction. He said
"governments recognize the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
has been established and functioning as a country, and more and more
contacts look like regular government-to-government contacts."
However, "the US government tries not to portray these as regular
contacts, for obvious reasons."
Nevertheless, "what’s interesting is that Washington tracks what’s
going on in Nagorno-Karabakh, including economic progress and
democratization. We have indications through third parties that they
are happy with the progress, although they would not say that in
public."
Regarding relations with Azerbaijan, he said: "I don’t think we have
illusions about being able to negotiate with Azerbaijan directly for
our independence." So there are two tracks that guide Karabakh’s
diplomatic efforts. One is to seek an accommodation with Azerbaijan
to be able to live peacefully side-by-side, the other is to secure
recognition from the international community. "For instance, we have
representations in Russia, France, Australia and Lebanon, as well as
the US." (These are not accredited diplomatic missions.)
Commenting on the work of the Minsk Group, he noted that, "The main
purpose of the Minsk Group is to facilitate negotiations, and not to
achieve a pre-determined outcome."
Barseghian said that by fighting for independence, the people of
Karabakh had "reaffirmed our right to live on the land of our
ancestors in the way that we feel is good for us." He said, "It was
a very heavy price," with several thousand ethnic Armenians killed.
In the summer of 1992, Azerbaijan controlled about half of Karabakh,
but Karabakh Armenians then organized more formal resistance,
including a regular army, and began to be successful. Some 30,000
people, Armenians and Azeries, were ultimately killed in the
fighting.
He noted that de facto Azerbaijan has recognized Nagorno-Karabakh’s
existence by recognizing the line of contact that separates the two
sides under the ceasefire. "This is the de facto border between
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh."
Since 1997, Azerbaijan has not had direct negotiations with
Karabakh. By Baku negotiating with Yerevan, it underlines its
position that Karabakh is an issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
But Barseghian said that he thinks a solution can only be found
through direct negotiations.
"I believe the world recognizes that we deserve to be free, and as a
minimum we should avoid another disaster. International recognition
of Karabakh’s independence will discourage another attack by
Azerbaijan. The ceasefire has held for 12 years, and we believe this
is due to the natural balance of forces." He noted that Azerbaijan’s
oil revenue has been used in part to strengthen its armed forces,
and Karabakh (and Armenia) stress to the US Congress and
administration that a military balance should be maintained to
prevent a new attack by Azerbaijan.
* * *
This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic in the USA (NKR Office) on behalf of the Government of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The NKR Office is registered with the
U.S. Government under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional
information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington,
D.C.
The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is
based in Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia
and the public representing the official policies and interests of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Artsakh.
–Boundary_(ID_SI8C1KWRiI5N2smATbjv2Q)–