Territories are life and security for Karabakh people
23-03-2007 11:53:24 – KarabakhOpen
Recently the mediators and political scientists have been using often
the term `provisional status’. What is it? What will Karabakh have to
face to once it accepts it?
The talks in Geneva, which generated `optimal’ proposals on solving
two issues, pullout of Armenian force from the territories around
Nagorno Karabakh and a provisional status for the unrecognized state
until a referendum is held, aroused anger among part of the public.
It should be noted that the people we talked to had no idea of this
decision, and these people had different occupations.
Narine Stepanayan from Stepanakert was indignant. `Are they trying to
fool us? How can people ever agree to return these territories? Whom
did the idea of pullout of force occur to? Who can guarantee our
security? Who gave Merzlyakov the right to decide our fate? We did not
fight to be caught in a trap today. The OSCE Minsk Group and the other
similar organizations should take into account what these territories
mean to each people. If for the people of Karabakh they are life and
security, for Azerbaijanis they are caprice and additional
territory. People may agree to live without luxury but they will fight
for their security and life. And no talks in Geneva can persuade of
the contrary.’
`Status? What status? We gained our status a long time ago. And it
sounds like this: we have established a state, we will be independent,
only our force will guard our security,’ Ashot Sargsyan comments. `The
winners are not judged. And we do not have to accept the terms of our
neighbor unless they are acceptable for us.’
`For me such decisions are not unexpected. I will not be surprised if
our government signs such an agreement,’ says Sergey Danielyan. `The
old saying runs: `If you want peace, prepare for war’. Today there is
an interesting situation in Karabakh. There is uncertainty in the
republic, whereas our `in charge’ are competing whose car is bigger
and more expensive and whose house is nicer. Their behavior shows that
they also want peace, but it is not clear who will be preparing for
war.’