POLITICIANS’ ACTIVITY IN EARLY 2010 MUST POSITIVELY AFFECT NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT: RUSSIAN POLITICIAN MIKHAIL GUSMAN
Trend
Jan 11 2010
Azerbaijan
The activity demonstrated by the Turkish and Russian politicians
in early 2010, must be beneficial for the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mikhail Gusman, first deputy director
general of Itar-Tass news agency said.
"On the one hand, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
visit to Moscow and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Armenia
are in the regular agenda of the inter-state dialogue, between these
countries. On the other hand, the activity demonstrated by politicians
in early 2010, must be beneficial for such a long and painful for
Azerbaijan conflict to be solved," Gusman told Trend News.
Turkish delegation headed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will
be in Moscow on Jan. 12 at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin. Turkish Prime-Minister has recently said that he plans
to urge Moscow to intensify efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss the problem of
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement during the visit to Armenia on January
13-14. He will meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian there, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Andrei Nesterenko said.
"Exchange of views to continue the negotiation process on
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement in the context of intermediary efforts
taken by Russia to solve the conflict will be in the center of
attention," Nesterenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
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.
Gusman said one should realize that issues related to the settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are directly in the context of the efforts
made by countries-mediators. The development of relations, which has
been recently observed between Armenia and Turkey, is likely to impact
on solving the conflict.
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken in 1993.
"I think, besides Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russia is one of the
countries greatly interested in solving their long-standing
territorial conflict. Russia is really taking important steps
envisaging Russia’s desire to be an honest mediator in the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Gusman said.
Gusman said that in this context one can consider several trilateral
meetings between the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia in
the political calendar of last year.
But whatever efforts Moscow and other mediators have made, the
presidents of two countries – Azerbaijan and Armenia must solve this
conflict, the expert said.
"If one speaks about Russia’s role in supporting Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan on the delicate question of concessions in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the following question arises whether this
assistance is sufficient compared to the frustration that can cause
this kind of concession in Armenia, Gusman said.