Topics of the week: Karabakh and visits of European and U.S.
high-ranking officials to Armenia
Review of May 10-14 political events.
The political week in Armenia started with debates on the Nagorno
Karabakh problem.
May 15, 2010
PanARMENIAN.Net –
According to Aram Safaryan, secretary of Prosperous Armenia
parliamentary group, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s refusal to
attend the informal summit of CIS leaders in Moscow as well as
unwillingness of Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to meet with the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs appeared as an attempt to screen
unreadiness to resolve the Karabakh problem peacefully. `Turkish and
Azeri propaganda machines have united to work out a large-scale
anti-Armenian policy. As a matter of fact, this policy aims to
frustrate the ongoing Karabakh talks. The current stage of
negotiations requires de jure recognition of Nagorno Karabakh, a move
Azerbaijan is not ready to make. Armenia should be prepared for more
violent propaganda attacks,’ Mr. Safaryan said.
Meanwhile political scientist Sergei Minasyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter said that the resumption of hostilities in Karabakh will be
fatal for British Petroleum (BP). `The catastrophe in Gulf of Mexico
has resulted in huge losses. And if Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline’s
operation is terminated, BP will be on the verge of bankruptcy. AIOC
(Azerbaijani International Operating Company) shareholders, including
BP, are the main lobbyists aiming to prevent hostilities in Karabakh.
Baku is well aware of this situation, thus, Ilham Aliyev’s statements
are mere words,’ Minasyan said.
Former national security advisor to the first President of Armenia,
Ashot Manucharyan, said a new war in Karabakh is possible
theoretically but impossible in practice. `In response to proclamation
of Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Azeri authorities launched a racist war
against the Armenian population in NKR and Azerbaijan. So, Baku should
hold talks on territorial concessions not with Armenia but with
Armenians expelled from Azerbaijan,’ he said. `Both in Armenia and
Azerbaijan the power is in the hands of several people. Such governing
philosophy produced the following result: Baku threatens while Yerevan
ignores the threats.’
ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group refrained from participation in
the meeting between RA parliamentary groups and PACE President Mevlut
Cavusoglu, citing the latter’s refusal to visit the Armenian Genocide
Memorial.
Heritage Party and its parliamentary group also issued a statement
labeling Cavusoglu’s decision to not visit the Armenian Genocide
Memorial as `a behavior that is unbecoming of the head of this
prestigious European organization.’
The delegation led by the PACE President was received by Armenian
leader Serzh Sargsyanm who said that this visit `will promote
strengthening of PACE-RA NA relations.’
Armenian Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan also met with the delegation to
discuss challenges faced by Armenia and the region in human rights
protection field.
RPA parliamentary group secretary Eduard Sharmazanov stated that
reasons behind President Medvedev’s visit to Turkey are
understandable, with Russia pursuing certain interests in the region.
Armenia should not have concerns over Russian President’s visit to
Turkey. With both countries vying for regional influence, Russia will
not allow for Turkey’s increased influence in South Caucasus,
according to him.
Member of Heritage parliamentary group Larisa Alaverdyan said that
signing the first document on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenia
accepted that NKR is a part of Azerbaijan. `Due to this blunder, NKR
was mentioned a part of Azerbaijan in all other documents, including
the Bishkek ceasefire agreement, though it records Arstakh as a party
to conflict. Armenia provoked exclusion of NKR from talks,’ Mrs.
Alaverdyan told reporters on May 12.
Leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan is confident
that the region is witnessing processes which will inevitably affect
both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. He also emphasized that Armenia
should renounce Madrid Principles, which envisage surrender of
territories and conduction of a referendum. `The Madrid Document is
the worst of all those offered before,’ he said.
Armenian National Congress coordinator Levon Zurabyan told journalists
that the ANC representatives slammed the work of PACE monitoring
committee and that of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
during a meeting with PACE President Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Armenian President met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Tina S. Kaidanow, who
arrived in Yerevan on May 14. The Armenian President thanked the U.S.
administration for the efforts aimed at establishment of peace and
stability in the South Caucasus.
Arshaluys Mghdesyan / PanARMENIAN News