WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE HELP IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT?
Elmira Tariverdiyeva

Today
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April 29 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan and Armenia had another chance for the possibility of
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the mediation of
influential regional players.

OSCE Chairman and Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev discussed
participation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev as head of
state chairing OSCE in talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
during telephone conversations with Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan
and Armenia April 26.

It is third such proposal over the last month from the non-co-chair
of OSCE Minsk Group to mediate in a long-lasted territorial dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Earlier Iran and Turkey proposed
meditation in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which was welcomed by Baku.

Unlike Yerevan, Baku agree to all the initiatives of mediation not
restraining only with the Minsk Group format, which in recent times
causes the observer questions.

It is time to change the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chair structure,
Ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Deputy Chairman and Executive
Secretary Ali Ahmedov told journalist today.

Ahmedov said his view is based on the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chair countries have not been able to demonstrate a commitment to
settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijan’s position as
a state subjected to occupation is inadequately protected.

Presently, the situation is undoubtedly complicated by the cooling
between Baku and Washington, which is likely to make Azerbaijan review
candidates of its allies and rely primarily on Moscow and Ankara.

Azerbaijan is seriously concerned about the United States’ attitude to
territorial dispute with Armenia and the U.S. support to normalization
of the Turkey-Armenia relations without taking into account the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, which was one of the reasons for the gap
of these relations in 1993.

Meanwhile, Ankara did everything to win back the confidence of Baku
after the cooling of relations between countries caused by the signing
of the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

In recent times, Turkey is dissatisfied with its role in settlement
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as Turkey wants to become more
involved in this matter and not once was offered its mediation.

Appraising such support, Azerbaijan proposed Turkey to take place of
one of the co-chairs in the OSCE Minsk Group.

Though, Armenia has reacted negatively to such an initiative, but
perceived Iran’s initiative more favorably. However, Yerevan continued
insisting on that the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh should be resolved
exclusively in the framework of the Minsk Group.

Regarding the most recent proposal by Saudabayev, then Kazakhstan’s
initiative could indeed be useful in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

Of course, Kazakhstan knows the seriousness and complexity of the
long-standing territorial dispute in the South Caucasus. Nazarbayev
was one of those who tried to extinguish the raising conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan in the early 90’s. Together with the then
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Nazarbayev visited the region and
together with Russia, voiced initiates to establish a mediation
mission, which was called "Jeleznovodsky initiative".

After many years, Kazakhstan that chairs OSCE in 2010 had a new
chance to demonstrate its ability to mediate and to move the process
of solving this conflict from the deadlock.

Kazakhstan is a country with smooth relations with the two conflicting
parties, and assistance in this process, of course, will give the
country certain credibility in the eyes of the world community as a
successful mediator.

Time will show Armenia’s readiness to Astana’s mediation. But even
if Armenia gives formal consent, it does not preclude it from finding
many reasons for the failure of the initiative of Kazakhstan later.

The fact that in contrast to Baku, Yerevan bristles at all mediation
initiatives outside the OSCE Minsk Group, suggests that Armenia does
not want to solve the territorial dispute.

Doubts in Armenian’s sincerity are strengthened, if we consider
that even within the Minsk Group Yerevan creates obstacles for the
advancement in the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement,
by returning to the items of the Madrid principles previously agreed
with Azerbaijan and the co-chairs, or refusing its updated version.