KARABAKH COMING OF AGE AND THE POLICY OF ARMENIA

KarabakhOpen
22-04-2008 11:46:43

The self-defeating election in Armenia coincided with the revision
of the stance on the settlement of the Karabakh issue. As a result
it turned out that for Armenia the Karabakh issue is not only a key
foreign issue but also a key internal issue.

Karabakh has not just become a key factor for Armenia. Simply for
a long time it was kept in a drawer, and it was ignored and not
responded to. In Armenia the phrase "it is the internal issue of
Karabakh" could often be heard with regard to events in Karabakh,
such as the presidential election. For instance, over a decade the
press of Karabakh wrote about everything but Armenia.

The cause of this is a topic for a separate article. Evidently, the
Karabakh background of the president of Armenia and his unwritten
decision to represent to the talks not only Armenia but also Karabakh
had a role. After him not only the pro-government but also the
opposition shut an eye on the factor of Karabakh.

As a result of such a stance, which was rather convenient for both
the Armenian and Karabakhi establishment, in Armenia Karabakh is
perceived as a faceless, voiceless space which is mentioned in the
world media from time to time. It is not important what people living
in that space think, how they live, how they hold elections and build
a state. It is not important. What is important is that they were
there and "defended the homeland" in case something happens.

Such an attitude of Armenia, the Diaspora and why not the entire
international community allowed drawing Karabakh to the back of
the world information space, and 17 years after the declaration
of independence of NKR the speaker of the Armenian parliament
states that one of the shortcomings of the Armenian policy is the
insufficient dissemination of information on the Karabakh issue to
the international community. In a simpler wording it sounds like they
talked little about Karabakh, and Karabakh lost its importance.

The attitude to Karabakh has changed. At least, in the past week the
Armenian parliamentary delegation and the new minister of foreign
affairs Edward Nalbandyan visited Karabakh. The delegation of the
government is also expected to visit. Obviously, in Armenia they will
stop treating Karabakh as an adolescent who cannot make decisions and
the guardian does everything for him. However, it will be assessed
as positive only in case Armenia and Karabakh are ready to come of age.