KANAT SAUDABAYEV PAYS A PURELY COGNITIVE VISIT TO THE REGION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.02.2010 GMT+04:00

In contrast to Baku, Yerevan adequately responds to statements of
the officials visiting the region, never ascribing to them what they
haven’t said.

The new OSCE Chairman-in-Office has started his visit to the South
Caucasus. Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev naturally
lays the emphasis on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, neither
he will be able to somehow settle the conflict, as the Turkic factor
may be pressing on the Kazakhstani FM. Or, at least, they hope so
in Baku, not realizing or pretending not to realize that the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office cannot simply take one or the other side.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ By the way, Baku was eager to make use of Movlud
Chavushoglu’s appointment as PACE President too, but, roughly speaking,
she tripped up the Turkish parliamentarians. Sometimes it seems that
on the one hand OSCE continues devoting much time to the Karabakh
conflict simply out of habit, having adapted itself to the idea that
the parties will never come to an agreement. On the other hand, the
Organization is not going to give the already established mechanism of
"settlement" into someone else’s clumsy hands, for example, into those
of UN. The examples of Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan are enough to
know how the United Nations is able to regulate conflicts. In the end,
all the calls of UN are reduced to the assistance from NATO, and then
we get what we get: instability, war and a long post-war restoration
period, if it is ever possible for Iraq or Afghanistan. Nevertheless,
the initiative of the new Chairman-in-Office is worth praising:
probably, like his predecessors, he is eager to settle the conflict.

However, it must also be stressed that Kanat Saudabayev’s visit to
the region is purely cognitive and no serious statements should be
expected from him. In contrast to Baku, Yerevan adequately responds
to statements of the officials visiting the region, never ascribing
to them what they haven’t said. This mainly refers to the notorious
"territorial integrity of Azerbaijan", which, according to the
Azerbaijani propaganda, receives support from the whole world.

But let us revert to the visit of the OSCE chairman. Kazakhstan,
which markets itself as a new Asian power thanks to her wealth and
geographical location, can definitely play a constructive role in
regulating conflicts in the South Caucasus as a whole. And as a
guarantee to this can serve the good relations of Kazakhstan with
all nations that are directly or indirectly involved in the situation
leading to instability in the region. Besides, Kazakhstan is a CSTO
member and her allied relations with Armenia are much more serious
than the "Turkic solidarity", which is remembered about only during
the congresses of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Attempts of Baku to play a major role in the OIC cannot be accepted
either by Turkey or by Kazakhstan. The position of Kazakhstan as the
OSCE chairman should be viewed from this perspective only. A country
that geographically is not part of Europe may become a more reliable
"East-West" bridge than Turkey.

"During its chairmanship in the OSCE, Kazakhstan intends to give a real
impetus to the Karabakh conflict settlement. We are convinced that
regulation of the conflict primarily depends on the parties directly
involved in this conflict. All the other players are assistants that
sincerely wish and intend to lend a hand for peaceful regulation of
the problem that does not create conditions for stable development
of the region," said the OSCE Chairman in Yerevan.

According to him, Astana cherishes a cautious optimism about future
developments around this situation. He also noted that Kazakhstan is
well aware of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan conflict history. "In addition
to the efforts made by our predecessors in the OSCE, and the results
obtained by all parties involved in the process of conflict regulation,
Kazakhstan has some additional resources, such as knowledge of the
conflict history, some historical and mental community and, of course,
respect and confidence enjoyed by the Head of Kazakhstan among the
conflicting sides," Saudabayev said.