WORLD POWERS INTERESTED IN BALANCE OF FORCES AND STATUS QUO IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

KarabakhOpen
29-10-2007 18:15:26

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs visited the region but did not
visit Stepanakert and did not meet the NKR government. "It allows
supposing that in the current stage of the talks there is necessity
for clarifying the key issues. I don’t think ignoring the stance of
Karabakh on the key issues may be helpful to the talks in general.

The U.S. co-chair again behaved originally and stated in Baku the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan may sign a framework agreement
by March 2008 but I think we should wait for the reaction of the
other two co-chairs.

Suppositions must be based on consolidated opinions on one development
or another," said the chair of the NKR National Assembly Committee
of Foreign Affairs Vahram Atanesyan.

He thinks these visits of the co-chairs are a new element. "At least,
their visits used to be less intensive. This activity may relate to
the intention of the co-chair countries to sustain stability in Armenia
as the presidential election is drawing nearer," Vahram Atanesyan said.

"The region, I mean the region referred to by Western political
scientists as Greater Near East is on the threshold of important
developments. Tough sanctions on Iran are possible, including military
force, Iranian and Israeli, Israeli and Lebanese clashes are possible,
relations between almost semi-independent Kurdistan and Turkey may
escalate into an armed conflict, tensions between Russia and the West
may escalate.

In this situation, only a hopeless optimist may hope for progress
toward the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. In addition, the
impression is that the world powers manipulating global issues,
are interested in balance of forces and status quo in the South
Caucasus. The United States, Russia and the EU have other more urgent
problems," the Karabakh parliament member says.

"Recently the Russian president Vladimir Putin has stated that the
international relations should be based on honoring territorial
integrity of states. It allows supposing that two parallel processes
are underway in the world – legitimization of unrecognized entities
on the one hand, and attempts to integrate the same entities with the
parent states honoring territorial integrity and certain rights. It
is clearly reflected in the discussion of the issue of Kosovo and
the methods worked out for the settlement of the currently frozen
post-soviet conflicts. And considering that the countries are now
dealing with the Karabakh issue which have different approaches toward
methods, it is difficult to state even theoretically that these
countries may offer consolidated proposals to the conflict sides,"
Mr. Atanesyan says.

Considering the history of state building in Karabakh, the current
economic and social stability, NKR’s right for recognition is equal
to that of Kosovo, Palestine, and others. "Nobody can predict the
developments.

However, in case our political potential is filled with economic,
social and democratic values, the prospects of the international
recognition of NKR may be more visible," the member of parliament says.
From: Baghdasarian