OPINION: KOSOVO AND NAGORNO KARABAKH ARE SIMILAR ISSUES
Regnum, Russia
July 16 2007
"Only we need elections in Nagorno Karabakh, be it presidential or
parliamentary ones," Armenian political analyst Stepan Grigoryan
announced at a news conference today.
A REGNUM correspondent quotes him as saying that the international
community will not recognize the forthcoming elections in Nagorno
Karabakh so easily. "The international community can easily recognize
only a referendum organized with NATO or the OSCE assistance," the
analyst said. Speaking on the upcoming election in Nagorno Karabakh
in general term, the expert found positive the fact that the acting
president Arkady Gukasyan did not run for the third term. "It confirms
elements of democracy in Nagorno Karabakh," he noted adding that
the fact that several candidates are running for presidency is also
significant.
Speaking on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, the Armenian
analyst said that discussion of the Gabala radar station issue between
the two great powers raised the authority of Azerbaijan. "It is fills
Azerbaijan with enthusiasm in the Karabakh issue somehow," he noted
adding that only international rules of the game and interests in
oil and gas issue can halt Azerbaijan from forceful settlement of the
conflict. At the same time, he also noted that granting independence
to Kosovo can influence the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. "Because
Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh have similar problems," he stressed adding
that they differ only in their scale.