ADOPTION OF NEW DECLARATION ON KARABAKH CONFLICT REGULATION CAN AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEGOTIATIONS POSITIVELY – EXPERT

ARKA
Jan 18, 2010

YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. "Adoption of new declaration on
Karabakh problem regulation can positively affect the development of
negotiations", said political scientist Alexander Makarov on Monday
during the video-bridge Yerevan-Moscow on the subject "Armenian-Russian
relations: results of the visit of Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Russia to Yerevan".

"Though many declarations are not implemented, this declaration
symbolizes that the parties give great importance to it", said
Makarov. He considered important that in the frames of declaration
certain positions of parties are fixed, otherwise such documents are
meaningless. "If adoption of declaration will assume continuation
of the process in the frames of agreements on peaceful negotiations,
adoption of new declaration will assist further positive development
in negotiations", said Maкkarov.

Karabakh conflict started in 1988 after coming out of Karabakh, settled
mostly by Armenians, from Azerbaijan. On December 10, 1991 referendum
was conducted in Karabakh where 99.89% of population was on the side
of full independence from Azerbaijan. Broad-scale military actions
initiated by Azerbaijan followed this event which brought to lost of
control not only in Karabakh but also its seven regions. From May 12,
1994 after entering into force the agreement on concluding a truce,
military actions were terminated in the result of which about 25-30
thousand people from both sides died and about 1 million had to leave
their houses. Agreement on fire termination acts till now. Since 1992
till now negotiations on peaceful regulation of the conflict in the
frames of Minsk Group of OSCE are conducted till now, the co-chairmen
of which are USA, Russia and France.