Co-chairs confirmed: return of territories is the first step

Davit Babayan,
Political Scientist
27-05-2007 13:23:31 – KarabakhOpen

On May 25 the French and Russian co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
acknowledged in a news conference in Baku that Nagorno-Karabakh is
part of Azerbaijan and said to consider the withdrawal of force from
the so-called `occupied’ territories. They think Azerbaijan must
control all the territories. The French co-chair even stated that the
return of territories is the first step. What comment does this
statement want? First of all, there is no need to make emotional
statements and accuse the co-chairs of a pro-Azerbaijani and
anti-Armenian policy. Azerbaijan will soon declare this stance as a
major diplomatic victory. However, the diplomacy of settlement of
relations between the great powers and major actors in the world is
very subtle and the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is also on this
plane. Therefore, what arouses emotional outbursts is in reality the
insignificant aspects of this subtle game.

The South Caucasus is one of the most important strategic regions on
the Earth, where the interests of great powers clash. Today the
competition between the key actors has become tougher. Interestingly,
however, the actors are interested in relieving passions. Therefore,
in those regions and problems, where stability has been sustained, the
great powers would hardly take steps which would harm stability and
kindle struggle among them. In this context, the unilateral statement
of the co-chairs is but freezing of the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh
until a more convenient time. It is clear that in Karabakh and Armenia
nobody will agree to return to Azerbaijan the strategic territories
and Nagorno-Karabakh with the borders of 1988. In this context, this
scenario will not be acceptable for the Armenian parties. On the other
hand, it is a paradox but with their statement the co-chairs actually
neutralized Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, which is reluctant to acknowledge
the reality and insists on restoring the setting of 1923 rather than
1988 when it annexed Karabakh, got a formal `approval’ of its
stance. But this stance torpedoed the process itself.

Hence, when the time is more convenient, the mediators can state that
the stance of Azerbaijan must be reconsidered, otherwise it will be
impossible to reach anywhere. In any case, we must continue to
reinforce our country, its economic, military and democratic
potential, for much depends on it.