WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 29, 2008 Wednesday

BATTLE FOR FORMAT

by Vadim Dubnov

IS ANYBODY READY FOR A COMPROMISE IN THE NAME OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH
CONFLICT SETTLEMENT?; It does not appear as if anybody wanted a
solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russian and Armenian presidents’ enthusiasm over the steady increase
of trade turnover between these two countries failed to mislead
observers concerning exactly what Dmitry Medvedev and Serj Sargsjan
met to discuss. They met in Yerevan to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh.

The future of Karabakh negotiations was determined by the so called
Madrid Principles before the Russian-Georgian shooting war. Armenia
was expected to withdraw from the occupied districts of Azerbaijan
beyond the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan to lift siege of
the border i.e. front line. Finally, the Madrid Principles stood for a
referendum no concerned party believed in then and believes in now.

Now that Russia and American chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group have
nothing to say to each other, the chances of the Azerbaijani-Armenian
conflict settlement appear to be illusory.

And yet, no constructive alternatives are put forth much less
discussed. It is clear as well that not even the Western community has
any bright ideas to come up with.

Nobody seems interested in Karabakh conflict settlement. Any decision
means a compromise, and a compromise is neither what Sargsjan nor his
Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev wants. Neither do international
brokers want a compromise, because any compromise may put into motion
a whole new scenario and a new arrangement of forces. What with Iran
not far and Turkey becoming definitely active in the region despite
its own domestic political troubles, it is the last thing the world
powers want.

"The last 14 years accustomed us to one set of rules," a Karabakh
politician said. "As for what the new rules will be like, nobody can
say anything with any degree of accuracy."

Source: Gazeta, October 27, 2008, p. 6