AVOIDING MORE SUFFERING IN THE CAUCASUS
Vardan Barseghian

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2008-09-19 15:09
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

As civilians came under indiscriminate shelling last month in South
Ossetia, uneasy memories were rekindled for many of us in the Caucasus
who lived through the wars of the early 1990s.

As Thomas De Waal correctly mentions ("Caucasus Burning," editorial
features, Aug. 19) if a new war breaks out in Nagorno-Karabakh – read:
if Azerbaijan attacks Karabakh – it could result in even greater
suffering and regional destabilization than what we have observed
in Georgia.

If last month’s tragedy is to become an effective lesson to the
international community, we hope to see immediate, focused diplomacy to
rein in Azerbaijan’s aggressive posturing over Karabakh, condemnation
of its officials’ hate mongering, and implementation of existing
agreements to strengthen the cease-fire. These steps could put our
region on the path toward demilitarization and peace.

My country has repeatedly asked Azerbaijan to commit to nonuse of force
and to implement confidence-building measures along the Line of Contact
and, more broadly, between the two publics. Azerbaijan continues to
refuse any such steps – even cooperation on fighting natural disasters.

We know that the United States shares our view that the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved through peaceful
means. Any settlement will be effective if it clearly reflects the
realities on the ground and is based on the expressed will of the
Nagorno-Karabakh people to live in freedom. We hope the United States
and the other international mediators will not miss this opportunity.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress