KARABAKH WILL OFFER TERRITORY
NAIRA NAYRUMYAN

Lragir.am
6/05/10

According to our data, in Karabakh, a geo-economic development program
of the country in the context of the region is being worked out.

Geo-economic aspect takes on special urgency against the background
of recent developments in the negotiation process and regional
developments.

"Ankara, Baku and Yerevan are going to lead "silent diplomacy"
for a couple of months, after which relevant steps will be taken up
in the sphere of the Armenian and Turkish protocols and stability
establishment in Caucasus", said the foreign minister of Turkey
Ahmet Davutoglu". He also noted that Turkish-Azerbaijani relations
are much more developed now than before. This means that Turkey and
Azerbaijan managed to agree over political issues, including those
connected with Armenia. The fact that Baku and Ankara agreed, finally,
on the gas price is a proof of this.

About the fact that in the region they came to a principled
agreement in connection with a number of issues proves the statement
of Azerbaijan that Baku is willful to allocate 50 percent of the
Azerbaijani gas to the gas pipeline Nabucco. This means that between
the West and Russia some agreement took place, and, apparently, it
does not affect the conclusion of final agreements or documenting
relations. The point is about regional geo-economic projects for
the implementation of which the parties have to postpone political
problems and open the borders for communications.

The deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov made a
noteworthy statement in this connection. He noted that "the opening
of the Armenian and Turkish border could be a fundamental lever for
the start of cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan or for the
collaboration in some other sphere". Noteworthy, the normalization of
relations with Armenia, he determined by the withdrawal of troops from
5 regions but not by the stipulation of a peace agreement. So far,
the Azerbaijani powers have been affirming that the cooperation with
Armenia is impossible "until the end of aggression".

About the fact that political issues, the ratification of the protocols
and all the rest, should put aside said the director of European
programs of the International Crisis Group Sabina Fraser. She noted
that now is the time to do "real" things – to open the border.

Appeal to look at the reality made the former Russian co-chair of
OSCE Minsk group Vladimir Kazimirov. "What is the sense to assert how
many people and where lived a century ago? It is necessary to proceed
from the current situation and not the situation of a century ago",
underlined Kazimirov.

So, it is high time that Karabakh offers a geo-economic project of
use of the territory under its jurisdiction under regional projects.

Political and legal questions are likely to be postponed indefinitely
in favor of economic ones.