U.S. CONGRESS DECISION COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT COUNTRY’S REPUTATION AS MEDIATOR: EXPERTS
Trend
Dec 18 2009
Azerbaijan
The decision of the U.S. Congress to provide financial assistance to
the Nagorno-Karabakh in 2010, could adversely affect the country’s
reputation as a mediator in regional conflicts, experts believe.
"Such a decision makes it much more difficult for the U.S. to convince
Azerbaijanis that it seeks to be an honest broker in resolving the
Karabakh conflict," Eurasian Strategy Project Director at Georgetown
University Cory Welt told Trend News.
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate approved a bill on
the general appropriations for the 2010 fiscal year, according to
which assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh will be allocated to the amount
of $8 million. Any restrictions on the implementation of programs in
Karabakh have been removed.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. General Assembly’s resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied
territories.
The observers believe, the U.S. Congress decision to provide assistance
to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians could adversely affect
the country’s reputation as a mediator in regional conflicts.
"The U.S. is co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group. Naturally, this
decision of the Congress is a step that cast doubt on the ability to
adhere to a fair and neutral position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement," MP Ganira Pashayeva told Trend News Dec. 15.
"Willingly or unwillingly, this assistance strengthens ethnic
separatism in Nagorno-Karabakh, adversely affects the solution of
the conflict. Proceeding from the disagreement of the population,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Presidential Administration, Parliament
makes appeals to the U.S. Government," Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Public and Political Department Head Ali Hasanov
told journalists.
Hasanov said that the U.S. is a country pursuing worldwide policy
and its decisions can not be based on occasional proposals of the
congressmen.
The Armenian lobby is responsible for the U.S. Congress deciding to
provide financial aid to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2010, European expert
on the South Caucasus Amanda Akcakoca said.
"However, at the same time this aid has been given for over 15 years
and is clearly a result of the strong Armenian lobby in the U.S.,"
European Politics Center expert Amanda Akcakoca told Trend News
via e-mail.
There is no humanitarian crisis in Karabakh. Rather it seems this money
goes toward specific NGO projects like restoring monuments, she said.
"Personally I do not support the financial assistance to
Nagorno-Karabakh because it could give the impression that the U.S
government is supporting an unrecognized regime," she added.
However, according to experts, the U.S Congress decision does not
means that the Obama administration will change the attitude towards
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
First and foremost it should be noted that the amount of the U.S
assistance provided to Armenia decreased in comparison with previous
years, even though Obama’s promises to the Armenian lobby on the eve
of his inauguration, British Transatlantic Institute Director Ziba
Norman said.
"This suggests that the Obama administration understood the political
realities of the current situation, and will not blindly support only
one side" Norman wrote Trend News in an e-mail.
According to Welt, the administration has little power to affect
Congressional decisions. However, such a decision does not change
the administration’s policy or approach toward the conflict.
"The U.S clearly should not provide aid to "unrecognized states,"
but what is new here is that the legislation allows more than just
humanitarian aid to the Nagorno-Karabakh," he added.
The analyst said "if it’s any consolation, many officials in the Obama
administration and U.S. bureaucracy are probably also frustrated by
the fact that Congressional decisions on foreign assistance can be
so at odds with the aims of U.S. policy in the region."
The department head of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration
regrets that some media outlets describe as anti-American campaign the
protests of Azerbaijani people, Parliament, Azerbaijani community of
Nagorno-Karabakh against the decision of the U.S. to provide financial
assistance to the separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Azerbaijan does not conduct anti-American campaign," he said.
Hasanov said that Azerbaijan is the strategic ally of the U.S.,
adheres to this alliance relations and will continue this policy.
V.Zhavoronkova, E.Ostapenko and M.Aliyev contributed to the article.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress