KARABAKH PREFERS TURKEY
Naira Hayrumyan

Lragir.am
19/01/10

Within political and press circles, debates on whether Karabakh is to
participate in the negotiations on the Karabakh conflict or it has
to sit doing nothing until "it is forced peace" still continue. In
Karabakh they think that without its participation there can be
no settlement but it does not strive for it so much. The official
Azerbaijan keeps affirming that Karabakh does not have to participate
in the negotiations, but on the contrary, demands to return Karabakh.

But all this happens at the level of demagogy.

In practice, despite the fact that, as Vladimir Kazimirov says,
by 1997 and the passage to the "shuttle diplomacy" mediators like
Russia and OSCE carried out negotiations in trilateral format,
Azerbaijan was against the Karabakh participation even before
1997. At definite stages, Baku had to sign trilateral documents,
which were 14 according to Kazimirov nevertheless, the moment came
when Aliyev refused categorically to negotiate with the Karabakh
representatives. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who was Armenia’s leader in that
period, had to choose either to renounce from negotiations at all,
or…and the following step was taken: the NKR president with whom
Aliyev did not want to speak, was invited to Armenia for the future
post of RA president. A year after his renounce to speak to Kocharyan,
Aliyev had to negotiate with him as the president of Armenia.

Whether it was a planned step or it was spontaneous is difficult to
say. Just like it is difficult to state that this step influenced
the negotiations positively. In any case, the problem "Azerbaijan
does not want to speak with Karabakh" was temporarily solved though
Karabakh officially was not in negotiations.

Now, other processes are taking place. Turkey is involved in the
Karabakh settlement and Azerbaijan was forced out of it. In fact,
negotiations are taking place at Armenia-Turkey level, in addition,
symptomatic the former head of Karabakh defense headquarter speaks
with Turkey as the Armenian president. And now Karabakh can say it
does not want to hold negotiations with Azerbaijan, preferring Turkey.

Will Abdullah Gul invite the Azerbaijani president to assume the
office of Turkish premier?