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PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Senior Karabakh Delegation Debates with EU Policy Makers at AGBU
Europe Round Table
Brussels, 19 October 2008 – A delegation from Nagorno-Karabakh visited
Brussels from October 14 to 17 to take part in a round table hosted by
AGBU Europe in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s
Brussels office. The delegation was composed of Eduard Atanesyan,
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh,
and David Babayan, Head of the Information Department of the Office of
the President of Karabakh.
The AGBU-hosted round table brought together representatives of
various organizations and institutions involved in European policy in
the region, including NGOs, think tanks, embassies and various
European institutions. Azeri diplomats and NGOs in Brussels, though
invited, did not attend.
Karabakh is one of the three territories in the Caucasus which
declared independence at the time of the collapse of the Soviet
Union. After successfully defending its independence in an unequal and
devastating war with Azerbaijan between 1992 and 1994, this small
republic of 145,000 inhabitants struggled to rebuild itself and worked
to establish a functioning state.
The purpose of this visit — the first to Brussels by a delegation
from Karabakh since 1999 – was to allow EU decision-makers and experts
to establish contact with representatives from Karabakh and to inform
them about the country’s situation. Even though the EU’s interest in
the South Caucasus has increased considerably in recent years, it has
abstained from establishing relations with Karabakh, even at the most
informal level. The EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus
has not yet traveled to Karabakh, though he has visited other
unrecognized republics in the region.
The round table reviewed the state of Karabakh’s economy, state and
society. Karabakh’s economy started from nothing after it was entirely
destroyed in the war but it is now developing fast. It faces
challenges similar to those of most other post-Soviet republics,
compounded by the absence of international assistance and by potential
investors’ reluctance caused by the country’s unrecognized status. On
the other hand, the speakers claimed that governance and democratic
standards, facilitated by the country’s small size, are rather more
advanced in Karabakh than in the neighboring South Caucasian
republics.
Over the last 14 years, negotiations have been pursued under the aegis
of the Minsk group of the OSCE to seek agreement on Karabakh’s final
status. In this context, both Babayan and Atanesyan explained their
government’s positions in the context of the negotiations by
describing their territory’s specific situation and its experience of
a terrible war. Karabakh aspires to being included as a party in the
negotiations on its future status, which it is still excluded from. In
a lively discussion regarding the Azeri refugees’ right to return to
Karabakh, Babayan confirmed that they were welcome to do so, provided
that those involved accept the jurisdiction of the Republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh. He insisted, however, that refugees should not be
used as pawns in a political game, and that negotiations on the topic
should genuinely aim to satisfy their right of return.
This round table, held on October 16, was the first in a series of
round tables and events which AGBU Europe will be organizing in the
context of its work with the European institutions. The next event to
be organized will be a conference, on November 13 next, on the
Rediscovery of Armenian Heritage in Turkey. For more information, see
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.