Nagorno-Karabakh Talks Moving in Right Direction
by MARGARET BESHEER
Voice of America News
June 16, 2005
WASHINGTON — INTRO: The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
plan to meet Friday in Paris to discuss ways to settle the conflict
over the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. In
Washington, VOA’s Margaret Besheer looks at the recent history of the
conflict and gets a sense from experts on where this round of talks
might go.
In 1988, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh began their liberation
movement. Three years later, they held a referendum and declared
their independence from Azerbaijan, although their government is not
internationally recognized.
Heavy fighting followed, with Armenian forces supporting the
Nagorno-Karabakh army. A Russian-mediated cease-fire ended the worst
of the fighting in 1994. Thousands of people had lost their lives
in the fighting and some 300 thousand Armenians had become refugees,
while nearly a million Azeris had been expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh
and had become displaced in their own country.
Sabine Freizer, the Caucasus project director for the International
Crisis Group, spoke to VOA from a noisy street corner in the Azeri
city of Ganja. She says the Armenians and Azeris define the conflict
differently.
[FREIZER ACT 1]
“The Azeris consider that the origins of the conflict are territorial
claims that Armenia has on Azerbaijan territory. While the Armenians
consider that the conflict is about national self-determination and
the right of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh to express their
will for sovereignty.”
[END ACT]
International efforts to mediate the dispute have been mostly limited
to the work of the Minsk Group created by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe. Again, Sabine Freizer.
[FREIZER ACT 2]
“The Minsk Group is the main and only international organization
which is facilitating dialogue at the state level between Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Currently there are three co-chairs, France, Russia,
and the United States.”
[END ACT]
So far, the Minsk Group has been unsuccessful in proposing a single
solution agreeable to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. But as Azerbaijan
expert and Jamestown Foundation correspondent Fariz Ismailzade tells
VOA from Baku, the two sides are still considering parts of two Minsk
Group proposals.
[ISMAILZADE ACT 1]
“The Azeris are supporting a so-called step-by-step proposal,
which means the territories around the disputed NK province will
be liberated. And the refugees and displaced people, these are the
Azerbaijanis, will go back, and then the status of Nagorno-Karabakh
will be decided. The Armenians are proposing to solve all the issues
at the same time. This is called a package proposal. They want return
of refugees and liberation of occupied territories to be done at the
same time with the status of disputed Nagorno-Karabakh.”
[END ACT]
Last month the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met on the
sidelines of the Council of Europe summit in Warsaw. Mr. Ismailzade
explains why that meeting was important for the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
[/ ISMAILZADE ACT 2]
“The presidents met and decided, ‘yes, we are on the right track,
let’s continue this negotiation.’ So in a way, the presidents gave a
new mandate, a new opportunity for the [foreign] ministers to continue
the talks.”
[END ACT]
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian says he hopes to build on
the progress made in Warsaw.
[OSKANIAN ACT]
“During the two presidents meeting in Warsaw, certain progress was made
on one of the most critical items. I will meet with my counterpart from
Azerbaijan on the 17th (of June). We will try to build on the progress
that the two presidents have made during their meeting in Warsaw.”
[END ACT]
Absent at the negotiating table Friday will be a direct representative
of the Nagorno-Karabakh people. Their representative in the United
States, Vardan Barseghian, says they still welcome Friday’s peace
talks.
[BARSEGHIAN ACT]
“Our president says he welcomes this kind of discussion, but to achieve
a long-lasting resolution, Nagorno-Karabakh should be present at the
negotiating table.”
[END ACT]
Ms. Freizer of the International Crisis Group says the Paris talks
are a continuation of a process which has been moving in a positive
direction, but she does not expect there to be a major breakthrough
at Friday’s meeting.
[FREIZER ACT 3]
“It seems that there is good will on both sides to talk about very
hard issues. But at this point, it looks like they are still in a
negotiation phase where they are still hashing out ideas and trying
to come to a consensus on the key ideas.”
[END ACT]
Mr. Ismailzade of the Jamestown Foundation agrees.
[ISMAILZADE ACT 3]
“They will come out of that saying that they have discussed some
details, things are in a right direction, they are narrowing down
their positions, and they will continue negotiations.”
[END ACT]
No matter what comes out of the Paris meeting, Mr. Barseghian of
the Nagorno-Karabakh people says their goal will remain unchanged,
and that is to have an independent state where their people can live
in freedom and choose their own government. (SIGNED)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress