SENIOR KARABAKH DELEGATION DEBATES WITH EU POLICY MAKERS
20/10/08
A n AGBU Europe round table
Brussels, 19 October 2008 – A delegation from Nagorno-Karabakh visited
Brussels from October 14 to 17 to take part in a round table hosted
by AGBU Europe in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation
Brussels office.
The delegation was composed of Eduard Atanesyan, Deputy foreign
Affairs Minister of Nagorno Karabakh and David Babayan, Head of the
Information Department of the Office of the President of Karabakh.
The Round table brought together representatives of various
organizations and institutions involved in European policy in the
region, including NGOs, Think Tanks, Embassies and the European
Institutions. Azerbaijani diplomats and NGOs in Brussels, though
invited, did not attend.
Karabakh is one of the 3 territories in the Caucasus which declared
independence at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. After
successfully defending its independence in an unequal and devastating
war with Azerbaijan between 1992 and 1994, this small republic of
145 000 inhabitants struggled to rebuild itself, to establish a
functioning state and to develop.
This is the first visit to Brussels by a delegation from Karabakh
since 1999. The visit aimed to allow EU decision-makers and experts
to establish contact with representatives from Karabakh and to inform
them about the country’s si tuation. Even though the EU’s interest
in the South Caucasus has increased considerably in recent years, it
has abstained from establishing relations with Karabakh, even at the
most informal level. The EU’s special representative for the South
Caucasus has not yet travelled to Karabakh, though he has visited
other unrecognized republics in the region.
The round table reviewed the state of Karabakh’s economy, state and
society. Karabakh’s economy started from nothing after it was entirely
destroyed in the war but it is now developing fast. It faces challenges
similar to those of most other post-soviet republic, compounded by
the absence of international assistance and by potential investors’
reticence caused by the country’s unrecognized status. On the other
hand, the speakers claimed that governance and democratic standards,
facilitated by the country’s small size, are rather more advanced in
Karabakh than in the neighbouring South Caucasian republics.
Over the last 14 years, negotiations have been pursued under the
aegis of the Minsk group of the OSCE to seek agreement on Karabakh’s
final status. In this context, both Babayan and Atanesyan explained
their government’s positions in the context of the negotiations by
describing their territory’s specific situation and its experience
of a terrible war.
Karabakh aspires to being included as a party in the negotiations
on its future status, which i t is still excluded from. In a lively
discussion regarding the right of return of Azeris refugees from
Karabakh, Babayan confirmed that they were welcome to return, providing
that those involve accept the jurisdiction of Nagorno-Karabakh. He
insisted however, that refugees should not be used as pawns in a
political game, and that negotiations on the topic should genuinely
aim to satisfy their right of return.
This round table, held on Octobre 16, was the first in a series of
round tables and events which AGBU Europe will be organizing in the
context of its work with the European institutions. The next event
to be organized will be a conference, on November 13 next, on the
Rediscovery of Armenian Heritage in Turkey. For more information,
see
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