ANKARA: Rays of Hope for Solving Upper Karabag Conflict

Zaman, Turkey
June 25 2005

Rays of Hope for Solving Upper Karabag Conflict
By Emre Demir
Published: Saturday 25, 2005
zaman.com

Rays of hopes to solve the Upper Karabag (Karabakh) Conflict, which
Turkey placed as a precondition to Armenia in order to establish
relations, shine through.

Officials from the two countries came together Friday at a general
council meeting for Parliamentarians Assembly of Council of Europe
(PACE) for the firs time in order to discuss the Karabakh conflict.

The meeting’s atmosphere was reported as positive and a road map was
determined. According to PACE’s Azeri deputy Asim Mollazade, a second
meeting will be held in Paris on September 12 with a more detailed
agenda.

The EC’s definition of Armenia as the “attacker state” and Karabakh
as a “separatist regime” in January accelerated the process of a
solution for the Karabakh conflict. The Organization of Security and
Cooperation for Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group will conduct negotiations
with political representatives of both parties in the region next
July. Established in 1992 to solve the problems between the two
countries, the Group is expected to focus on a withdrawal plan of
Armenia from the Upper Karabakh. Turkey, which places a solution of
the Upper Karabakh conflict as a precondition in order to begin
diplomatic relations with Armenia, has also played important role in
the negotiations. Both Turkish and Azeri deputies cooperated in the
negotiations at PACE. The Upper Karabakh conflict will most likely be
discussed during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
Azerbaijan visit on June 29.

The last Armenian attempt for recognition of the Upper Karabakh as a
free state was inconclusive. France and Russia announced that they do
not recognize the elections in Karabakh scheduled for June 19 and the
Upper Karabakh is within Azerbaijan’s boarders. Baku wants Armenia to
withdraw from all sections of Karabakh at the same time. Armenia has
agreed to withdraw from five regions immediately but does not want to
withdraw from the Lacin and Kelbecer regions at present since many
Armenians live in the region.