MASIS MAYILYAN: EXPERTS ARE INCLINED FOR RECOGNITION OF INDEPENDENCE OF NKR RATHER
Naira Hayrumyan
KarabakhOpen
10-12-2007 11:50:30
The NKR ex-presidential candidate Masis Mayilyan held an interview
with Karabakh-Open.com.
Mr. Mayilyan, after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the OSCE
in Madrid it was announced that of the ten issues on the table of
the talks for the settlement of the Karabakh issue only one was not
agreed on. The foreign ministry of Armenia states it is the status
of Karabakh. The minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan said the
issue was not discussed at all. Which issue could it be, and does
it mean that the Armenian government has agreed on everything except
the status?
Masis Mayilyan: Those who track the Karabakh settlement are no more
surprised to hear mutually exclusive statements from diplomats after
similar meetings. With regard to this particular case, ostensibly a
referendum or a plebiscite on the status of Karabakh is concerned. In
this case, I think the parties are telling the truth but not the
whole truth. In other words, they give information that favors them.
As to whether the Armenian government agreed on all the other issues,
as far as I know, the principle of the consultations is "we agree on
nothing unless we agree on everything". Even if we assume that there
is agreement on several issues, all that has been agreed on earlier
will be conventional until complete agreement is reached.
The Armenian president Robert Kocharyan said in an interview with
the Golos Armenia that as a president Levon Ter-Petrosyan was ready
to sign a defensive agreement by which Karabakh would become part
of Azerbaijan. While Robert Kocharyan was president, the issue of
self-determination of Karabakh was laid at the basis of the talks.
You were the deputy foreign minister of NKR for many years. What was
the dynamics of changes of the principles of settlement?
Masis Mayilyan: Unfortunately, Karabakh is becoming a dominant topic
in the home political sphere in Armenia. It is desirable to avoid such
developments because Karabakh became a national idea which brought
together the Armenians worldwide, therefore it should be above home
political fights and should not be turned an object, more exactly a
subject in the race for power. In this connection, we the citizens of
NKR should be highly accurate toward our role in the nation liberation
movement and not get involved in the election process in Armenia. Some
Armenian politicians call on Artsakh for help. The best support would
be not to interfere with the internal affairs of Armenia.
We certainly are interested in stable, democratic and developed
Armenia, which has influence in the region. Our interest does not stem
from only the fact that Armenia is the Motherland of the Armenians
worldwide but the fact that the Republic of Armenia is the main
guarantor of the security and development of Artsakh. We should be
mindful, however, that only the citizens of Armenia have the right
to vote to the Armenian president.
Since the presidential campaign is gathering momentum in Armenia, I
would not like to comment on statements made in this context. I can
only say that a few years ago the texts of all the three proposals
(the so-called stage-by-stage and the package proposals, as well as the
principles of the common state) of the international mediators were
released almost simultaneously in Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku. At
that time, the NKR ministry of foreign affairs released the response
of the NKR government to the mediators regarding those proposals. I
suppose that the innovated proposals of the mediators in Madrid will
become known to the publics of the conflict sides some time later. At
that time, we will be able to compare those proposals.
Independent from the talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, judging
by my contacts with the international experts, I can say that over
the past years the experts were inclined for the recognition of
the independence of NKR rather than the unification of NKR and
Armenia. Most experts on our region rule out return of the status
quo of 1988.
Mr. Mayilyan, some people say the expected resolution of Kosovo may
become a precedent for the settlement of the Karabakh issue, others
think every conflict is unique. What are your thoughts?
Masis Mayilyan: Every idea has the right to be. I think if the
independence of Kosovo is nevertheless recognized, its value to us
is the independence this country gains not thanks to but despite the
will of the former metropolis. Soon we are going to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the new stage of the Karabakh Movement. Over these years
more than twenty new states have appeared on the political map of the
world. Unlike Kosovo, however, these countries gained independence
thanks to the agreement of the central government (Ethiopia – Eritrea,
Indonesia – East Timor, and others).
Since Azerbaijan is not ready to recognize the independence of NKR,
not even for a dialogue, the precedent of Kosovo may be useful to
the diplomacy of both Armenian states.