AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA SIGN A RUSSIAN-BROKERED TENTATIVE DEAL AFTER 15 YEARS

Farsuna Service Portal

Nov 3 2008
Azerbaijan

By Russia’s mediation, Armenia and Azerbaijan have signed a joint
declaration on the possible settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh after
two-hour tripartite negotiations at Meiendorf Castle, near Moscow.

The two former USSR countries have signed this document of concurrence
in the views for the first time since a ceasefire agreement they
inked in 1994 to end a 1992-94 bloody war.

The declaration signed by Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, Armenia’s Serzh
Sarkisian, and Russia’s Dmitri Medvedev said the parties agree to
accelerate further moves in the negotiations to find a political and
peaceful solution through a direct dialogue mediated by the Russia,
the United States and France-co-chaired OSCE Minsk Group.

"They will continue to work on the further improvement of the situation
in the South Caucasus and establishment of regional stability and
security in the region through a political settlement of the conflict
under legally binding international guarantee… and … based on
the principles and rules of international law and the decisions and
documents adopted during this framework," said the statement, read
out by Dmitry Medvedev.

For several years, the parties discussed a phased solution to the
conflict, which suggested Armenia give back seven Azeri regions
adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh and the parties continue the negotiating
and referendum process later in order to determine the future status
of Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenia first agreed to the suggestion, but rejected it later, fearing
Azerbaijan will attempt to retake Nagorno Karabakh after having taken
hold of seven regions.

Russia appears to act as a broker for "frozen conflicts" in the former
Soviet Union after the no-win aftermath of the five-day war between
Russia and Georgia flared in August.

The United States have also recently taken a renewed interest in the
resolution of the conflict.

Dmitry Medvedev said in the Armenian capital Yerevan last month that
his country wanted to host a meeting of presidents to find a solution
to the conflict what he described "is an advanced stage now".

"What happened in August has shown that complex problems must
be resolved on the basis of international principles and by
negotiations. Nothing else can lead to a positive outcome.

That’s one of the most important lessons of the crisis in the
Caucasus," he added.

Conflict Flared

When the Soviet Union was going to fall, Armenia moved to occupy
Nagorno-Karabakh, a richly fertile area of great beauty high in
the Caucasus mountains, an internationally recognized territory of
Azerbaijan, in the late 1980s, sparking a 1992-94 war.

A ceasefire was agreed in 1994 but the search for a lasting peace
is stalled.

Azerbaijan said it seeks a peaceful solution to the conflict, but
doesn’t "rule out the probability of any means to wrest back its
lands if need be".

Since the ceasefire in 1994, most of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven regions
of Azerbaijan around it have remained under the unrecognized control
of Armenia.

The OSCE Minsk Group has since been brokering peace talks between
governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan in vain. Farsuna

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress