AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, RUSSIA USING FAITH TO FIND KARABAKH PEACE
Mina Miradova

EurasiaNet
April 28 2010
NY

They have tried threats. They have tried PR. And now, 22 years
into the search for a Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement, Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia are turning to the power of faith.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II,
and Azerbaijan’s Muslim leader, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade,
met on April 26. The 90-minute discussion — facilitated by Kirill I,
the Russian Orthodox patriarch — marked the sixth such tête-a-tête
between the religious leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan since 1988,
when the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began.

More significantly, the meeting, held on the sidelines of the World
Interfaith Summit, marked Garegin II’s first-ever trip to Baku. A
protest conducted by the Karabakh Liberation Organization in front of
the summit site at Baku’s Gulistan Palace reflected the discomfort
in some sectors of Azerbaijani society generated by Garegin II’s
presence. A group of women, mostly family members of Azerbaijanis
killed during the Karabakh conflict, held posters depicting war
victims to protest the Armenian Catholicos’ arrival.

The protest appeared to do little to dampen summiteers’ enthusiasm
for what Kirill I termed "our religious peace-making process."

A joint declaration signed after the meeting affirmed the religious
leaders’ intention to "not allow a return to a military solution of
disputable issues" between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The declaration
also stated that "our joint efforts will help to overcome animosity
between nations."

In downtown Baku, Catholicos Garegin II visited the closed Armenian
church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, a facility that is now used to
store books for a library run by the presidential administration. He
was later received by President Ilham Aliyev at his Zagulba residence.

The Armenian religious leader and the Azerbaijani president chatted
for about one hour in what local media described as "an unconstrained
and sincere atmosphere."

Tight security measures were maintained throughout the day.

Journalists were not allowed to attend the two events.

The meeting appears to have produced some results – or at least verbal
commitments. President Aliyev reportedly agreed to assist Armenia with
reconstructing the church of St. Gregory, which was damaged by fire
in 1990, the Turan news agency reported, citing an unnamed Azerbaijani
official. In exchange, Garegin II promised to promote the restoration
of a mosque in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Shusha, a site with strong
cultural significance for Azeris. [A mosque restoration project has
been underway in Shusha for a few years already — ed.] Catholicos
Garegin II also invited Pashazade to visit Armenia.

The trio confirmed plans to continue their discussions and called on
Azerbaijan and Armenia’s political and religious leaders to increase
efforts to release those detained in connection with the Karabakh
conflict, as well as to protect religious monuments and sacred places
within the conflict zone.

Although few Azerbaijani experts believe that these results will be
able to jump-start stalled peace talks, they note that the meeting
at least created grounds for re-building trust and tolerance among
Armenians and Azeris.

Others have a less rosy outlook.

"[H]is arrival to Baku is positive, but the declaration [signed at
the end of the trilateral meeting] is meaningless with relation to its
influence on resolution of the Karabakh problem," declared independent
political analyst Rasim Musabeyov, in reference to Armenian Catholicos
Garegin II.

Arif Yunus, an expert at Baku’s non-governmental Institute for Peace
and Democracy, took that appraisal one step further. Given the strong
secular trend in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, the influence of Garegin
II and Allahshukur Pashazade is limited, he posited. "The summit and
meeting can play both a positive and negative role only in societies
where at least 50 percent of the population are true believers,"
contended Yunus. "Neither Armenian society nor Azerbaijani society
is like that, and, on the other hand, the authority of both Garegin
II and Pashazade is not on such a level that we can talk about their
contribution to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

Musabeyov said the religious leaders’ commitment to a non-violent
approach on Karabakh is important. And down the road, he added, their
influence could prove critical once a peace deal is reached and both
Yerevan and Baku find themselves confronted by "the need to isolate
radical forces, and redirect public opinion."

One leader of Azerbaijan’s Muslim community sees another influence
already at work. Ilgar Ibrahimoglu, head of the Centre for Protection
of Freedom of Conscience and Faith, thinks that Garegin II’s visit to
Baku demonstrates Russia’s increased influence in the South Caucasus.

"[I]t shows that the Russian Orthodox Church is currently headed by
a charismatic patriarch who is able not only to create opportunities
for meetings between belligerent states, but also to make the visit of
a religious leader of one state to another one a reality," commented
Ibrahimoglu. "I see the role of Russia here."

Editor’s Note: Mina Muradova is a freelance reporter based in Baku.