Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 2 2008
Afrand Dashdamirov: `We should not entirely rely on mediators in the
solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem’
[ 02 May 2008 17:09 ]
Baku. Lachin Sultanova `APA. `Superpowers have an important role in
the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh problem.
They can assist the conflict solution or to tackle it’, Afrand
Dashdamirov, Vice-President of All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress,
Professor of Russian Public Service Academy under the Russian
President and member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, told
APA. He called UN resolution on the occupied lands of Azerbaijan an
important document. `Adoption of such resolution approved the public
opinion about the fair position of Azerbaijan. It is important
spiritual victory not depending on supporters or opponents, but it is
not enough to achieve results and to settle the conflict
completely. It is very difficult to achieve results in the political
negotiations through the spiritual and even legal funds. It needs to
put forward successive and appropriate policy to settle the
conflict. Only those, who know all details of current situation, know
which policy should be made in this issue. OSCE co-chairing countries
`mediators in the settlement process` try to reconcile the sides. At
the same time each of them has its own interests in our regions and
different special relations with the conflict parties. Equal close
relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia can be ideal for Russia. It
is important for Russia to keep close relations with Azerbaijan, the
biggest country of South Caucasus, but at the same time Moscow doesn’t
intend to lose Armenia. Russia has a limit in its opportunities of
influence. Everybody knows that France’s position is under the
influence of Armenian-origin citizens of the country. The United
States has own accounts and games in the region. Each of them partly
supports both Azerbaijan and Armenia. They don’t deviate to say `Let
them reach agreement between themselves and we will support their
agreement’. It is shameful and disagreeable for Azerbaijan to make
concessions while its lands are under the occupation. But reality is
so. We shouldn’t rely on mediators and we should have own will. It
means we don’t have to expect for proposals and have to go to the
direct dialogue’. Dashdamirov thinks first of all civil society
institutions can start the dialogue. `We need to start direct
negotiations considering the factor of forever neighborhood of
Azerbaijan and Armenia. Episodic visits cannot help the process. I
have no doubt that Armenian side suffers from the current situation
and makes economic losses. But we also don’t live in vacuum. Georgia
continues its relations with this country despite we like it or not
and we also know the role of Russia and Iran in Armenian economy’.