THE IMPERATIVE OF BRINGING NAGORNO KARABAKH
Azat Artsakh Daily
19 March 09
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR
Lately, the question of participation or non-participation of NK in
the negotiation process is being discussed more frequently in the
conflict parties’ media. This question is urgent but its decision has
different meaning for every part, as a whole for the prospect of the
regulation of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict. Certainly, Azerbaijan,
with the efforts of which NK is partially debarred from the negotiation
process more than 10 years, is very interested in the preservation
of this situation. Such position allows Baku to distort the essence
of the conflict, presenting it as a confrontation between Armenian
and Azerbaijan, regarding of which as if the military aggression has
been made with the purpose of capturing the territories. Meanwhile,
the conflict started and is going on between Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan, and the status of Nagorno Karabakh as a rightful party is
legally granted by official documents of OSCE and other international
organizations. Insisting on their return to the negotiation process
the authorities of NK quite fairly appeal to the provisions of the
Resolution of OSCE Budapest Summit held in December 1994 which refer
to all three parties of the conflict – Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan
and Armenia.20I must say that the only success in the process of
negotiation and the only active agreement to this very day remains
Bishkek Agreement held in May 1994, which was signed by the three
parts, including NK. I must also underline that before the exclusion
of NK from tripartite format negotiation, the project of the supposed
regulation of the conflict was suggested for consideration only
to the three parts, but not to the two ones. Today an impression
is given that many have forgotten partially about this. Even the
international mediators themselves with the co-chairs of the Minsk
Group OSCE do not hurry to bring NK back to the negotiation table
and bend their efforts practically to DS meetings of the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, of course, the mediators
have not forgotten about this. During their last visit in the region,
they said in the interview with the journalists that NK participated
in the negotiation process until 1998. At the same time, the mediators
invariably maintain as a traditional ritual that the agreement and the
participation of NK and its nation are important for a final decision
of the problem. Moreover, they express confidence that eventually the
Karabakhian part will be linked to the negotiation. However, with the
same invariability, they state that it does not depend from them and
such question must be discussed with the consent of the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan. 20 A reasonable question arises: how about
the legally obliging documents of OSCE concerning the three parties,
the documents of the very same organization that they represent and
the resolutions of what they are obliged to execute?
Doesn’t such an attitude of the co-chairmen mean that they have
resigned on the caprices and whims of Azerbaijan and have left the
whole regulation process at the mercy of the Azeri’s fate? Apparently,
there will never be the Azerbaijani president’s consent on bringing
NK back to the negotiation table, which is spoken of by the Minsk
Group co-chairmen.
Anyway, this is what Ilham Aliyev himself confirms from time
to time. Thus; recently, two weeks after singing the Meiendorf
Declaration, he stated: "There are no sides in Nagorno Karabakh
conflict but Azerbaijan and Armenia. It has always been known and now
this fact is fixed by the signature of the Armenian leader in Moscow
Declaration. " It has become habitual, that the co-chairs of The Minsk
Group call parts "to show political will for accepting difficult but
necessary decisions".
May be, it will be better if co-chairs themselves show will and accept
"necessary decision" about the reinstatement in the negotiation
process in full format and the counteraction of the destructive
position of Azerbaijan, it is time to put an end? Just only by
announcements of obligation and inevitability of the participation of
NK in negotiations, its actual participation cannot be provided. It
cannot be provided also the achievement and the realization of the
comprehensive agreement without full participation of NK in all the
stages of the regulation of conflict. This question is more than
evident and entirely is not beyond the comprehensive of the process
of regulation.
Moreover, it is the very first condition of the continuation of
the process; otherwise, the negotiation loses its significance in
the frame of the Minsk Group OSCE, as it is nonsense to discuss the
fate of NK without its participation. NK is an established state,
which it is impossible to ignore. It is able and ready to make its
contribution in the solution of the conflict and to make its part of
responsibility for the fate of regulation.
In addition, for this, bringing NK back to the negation process must
become an imperative of the day for mediators. With every day, they
discuss Karabakh conflict.