NKR GOING TO ESTABLISH RELATIONS WITH KOSOVO?

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.06.2008 18:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Parallels between Kosovo and Karabakh and the
mechanism of recognition of independence on the Kosovo model were
discussed a few days ago in Stepanakert. The discussion was initiated
by the Open Society NGO. The round-table meeting was conducted by Karen
Bekaryan, the chair of the European Integration NGO (Armenia). The
representatives of the parliament, the foreign ministry, NGOs,
experts took part in the discussion.

With regard to the recognition of Kosovo, Karen Bekaryan said as a
result of developments regarding this process the most pro-Russian
nation suffered which will affect the process in the South Caucasus
in the sense of sustaining the interests of the West. As a result,
Karen Bekaryan says, Serbia suffered great losses and was nevertheless
involved in the process of European integration but without any
expectation from Russia.

"There is the danger of application of the Serbian, more exactly the
Yugoslavian model, to the South Caucasus. Having a number of internal
problems, we can appear in the shoes of Yugoslavian Serbia. There is
such danger, and it is necessary to be aware of it and to define the
political agenda clearly," Karen Bekaryan said.

With regard to parallels, Karen Bekaryan said unlike the Armenian
states, Kosovo was able to gain independence during this process and
avoid the Albanian factor. "Everything was done for the Kosovo elite
not to become part of the Albanian elite, unlike Armenia. And it
is not accidental that at some point Karabakh was not participating
in the talks. Kosovo was able to avoid this and get a trump card,"
Karen Bekaryan said.

And if in our case Armenia is perceived and presented as the guarantor
of security of Karabakh, in the case of Kosovo Albania has never been
perceived as such.

Therefore, the world offered guarantees to Kosovo, the UN and the
European organizations. And this was inevitably reflected in the
process of settlement.

"Therefore the UN resolutions on Kosovo were guarantees of security and
humanitarian issues, and in our case the restoration of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. It would be ingenuous to view the problems
on the legal level because it is obviously a political issue. From
the standpoint of political interests of the West, recognition of
Karabakh’s independence has not ripened yet. As soon as it ripens,
all the hindrances will be easily overcome," the expert said.

Among one of the steps it was offered to set up relations between
Karabakh and Kosovo, KarabakhOpen reports.