Armenia`s application to OSCE MG gives rise to questions

ARMINFO
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo.Yerevan's application to the OSCE Minsk Group in the context of Baku's proposals gives rise to a number of questions, allowing different interpretations, Tevan  Poghosyan, Head of the International Center for Human Development  (ICHD), said in an interview with ArmInfo. 

On March 14, Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the  following statement: 

"The Republic of Armenia responded to the proposals of the Republic  of Azerbaijan and applied to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to  organize negotiations on the signing of peace agreement between the  Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the basis of  the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political  Rights and the Helsinki Final Act."

"The best way to clear up the present misunderstanding would be  Yerevan's explicitly and publicly explaining the redlines in the  context of the Baku-proposed 5-point document. It is also important  to understand if this application implies any changes in the Minsk  Group's mandate. It is common knowledge that the co-chairs' mandate  of 1994 deals with the settlement of the Artsakh problem proper  rather than with Armenian-Azerbaijani relations," he said. 

Given Yerevan's statement that the Artsakh conflict remains far from  being settled, Armenia's application to the OSCE Minsk Group should,  in principle, imply one more initiative within the co-chairmanship,  which, in turn, gives rise to one more question: what about a  settlement of the Artsakh problem, which is getting increasingly  complicated in the course of time. And if it is a new initiative that  is in question, it necessitates informing the public of the Armenian  government's intentions, Mr Poghosyan said.  

"Moreover, I have not so far seen a response by Armenia's foreign  office to the recent psychological terror against the Artsakh  residents that are freezing in this cold weather. I think their fate  must be discussed as well, which is, in fact, the problem.  Specifically, the Turkish foreign minister stated that the problems  between Armenia and Azerbaijan are the two states' business and  warned other against interfering. 

"One more problem is the present disagreements between the OSCE Minsk  Group co-chairing states – Russia, the United States and France. We  have seen these disagreements have escalated into confrontation," Mr  Poghosyan said.