What is going on in Nagorno-Karabakh?
by HASAN KANBOLAT
Today’s Zaman
28.08.2007
Following the constitutional referendum held on Dec. 10, 2006, in
violation of international law in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Upper Karabakh)
region of Azerbaijan, a presidential election took place on July 19, 2007.
Former Chairman of the National Security Service Bako Sahakyan won the
election, in which five candidates ran for the presidency. Sahakyan, who
makes an analogy between Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh, seeks recognition of
the latter’s independence. The elections, just like the referendum, are
referred to as a part of unilateral efforts to ensure the recognition of a
status quo created in breach of established international law. The
international community including Turkey and Azerbaijan declared the
elections illegal and invalid.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region was occupied by Armenian forces in 1992 after a
two-year-long war that cost 35,000 lives. At the end of the war, 1,000,000
Azerbaijanis had to migrate from their native land. The Armenians, who have
maintained their occupation since the cease-fire in 1994, refused to
withdraw from the occupied zone despite numerous binding resolutions by the
UN Security Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe.
Negotiations held under the auspices of the Minsk Group established in
pursuant to the decisions taken at the summit in 1992, which convened to
find a permanent resolution to the disputes between the two countries, have
produced no final outcome so far. However, another negotiation phase called
the "Prague Process," initiated by the co-chairs of the Minsk Group and
attended by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, is currently
under way to address the question. During the Prague Process, the Azeri side
offered an incremental and step-by-step solution while the Armenian
delegation insisted on a package deal. Based on the proposals from both
sides, the Minsk Group co-chairs developed an amalgam proposal which
envisaged reaching an agreement over the resolution and incremental
implementation of the agreed resolution over time. Substantial progress was
achieved in the negotiations following the endorsement of the middle- ground
solution by the two parties.
Under the co-chairs’ resolution, which seems to be offering a more plausible
and grounded framework, the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the procedure
under which this status will be set will be determined in the future.
The co-chairs agreed on the evacuation of the occupied regions (provinces),
the establishment of a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia,
determination of the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh by referendum, special
emphasis on displaced persons, demilitarization and the provision of
international relief. However, Azerbaijan is eager to complete the
"re-integration" process during the time until the determination of the
final status. The Baku administration holds that temporary resolution can
only be achieved through recognition of the autonomous status of the region
within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Moreover, the argument implying that the issue cannot be resolved through
negotiations is being supported, arguing that it requires effective military
intervention. Armenia seeks to preserve the current status quo and hopes for
changes in the circumstances under which it will greatly benefit to expand
its territory. It wants to guarantee the status of Nagorno-Karabakh in
return for withdrawal from five provinces. For these reasons, there still
remain important disagreements over the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh,
the evacuation of the occupied provinces and the opening of a corridor
between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
Presidential elections will take place in both Armenia and Azerbaijan in
2008. For this reason, no dramatic changes in policy on either side is
expected before these elections in regards to the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh.
28.08.2007
Source: =detay&link=120588
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
