HOW IS PEOPLE’S DIPLOMACY EXERCISED VARDAN GRIGORYAN
Hayots Ashkharh Daily – Armenia
06 July 07
The atmosphere of shock and the attempts to charge the activists
of educational and cultural sphere with treachery, prevalent in
Azerbaijan, after the visit of Armenian and Azerbaijani intellectuals
to Nagorno Karabakh, Yerevan and Baku are gradually followed by rather
discreet and realistic evaluations.
Moreover, as the rector of the Slovenian University in Baku Kyamal
Abdullah says lots of people call him, expressing a desire to arrange
another visit to Nagorno Karabakh. This means people become more and
more inclined to establishing bridges of dialogue between the two
countries or simply to satisfy their curiosity.
But the latest announcements of Azerbaijani intellectuals and mostly
the state officials that improved the undertaking prove that the
principle achievement of the visit of the delegation headed by Polad
Byulbyulogly and the stipulation to continue this policy is based on
quite different starting point, from the point of view of Azerbaijan.
Firstly it is observed as an attempt of elaborating a new model
of relations with Nagorno Karabakh, which is well known in the
international practice as "mild policy".
It is not accidental that recently Azerbaijani analysts, in detail,
touch upon the fact of the triumph of the USA over the Soviet Union
through economic competition in the " cold war". This exemplary
experience is observed as a wonderful opportunity to be triumphant
in Armenian – Azerbaijani confrontation without blood, taking into
account the increase of oil profits and in general Azerbaijan’s wider
economic opportunities.
The following idea is advanced in such circumstances – the denial of
direct ties with Nagorno Karabakh is not the best method to possess
it, as the isolation barrier interferes with the strengthening of
the so-called pro-Azerbaijani dispositions there. Particularly,
substantiating the inevitability of the visit of Azerbaijani
intellectuals to Nagorno Karabakh from the point of view of solving
the problem of "Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity", Rector of the
Slovenian University in Azerbaijan Kyamal Abdullah underscored,"
We must be informed whether there are powers there, with whom in
future we can speak about the improvement of the life. This is the
main point of the issue."
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediarov formulated the same
reasoning in a harsher and official "package", "Nagorno Karabakh
belongs to Azerbaijan and the people living there are Azerbaijani
citizens.
Azerbaijani citizens must leave for Shushi and Khankendi, the same
way as they leave for Ghuba and Shamakhi."
That is to say if before Azerbaijan used to do its best to prevent not
only their citizens but also foreigners from entering Nagorno Karabakh,
at present, just on the contrary, they are trying to separate the
political and the humanitarian standpoints.
On the first plane Azerbaijan intends to keep on dealing with Armenia
only, representing Karabakh conflict as a manifestation of territorial
demands from Azerbaijan by the Republic of Armenia.
On the second plane – just the other way about – the latter tries
to transform from isolation policy into gaining the favor of their
"own citizens", that is to say NKR people.
Azerbaijan perceives the latest announcements of international
structures about not recognizing NKR as an independent state, as a
predetermination of Artsakh’s international-legal status that is why
they try to bring back through "mild policy", what they have lost
during the war. Thus the expected new attempts to make the people’s
diplomacy more and more active should be evaluated as a start of a
peaceful attack from Azerbaijan.
And the confrontation of the attack demands clarification of the
format of relations between our countries.
People’s democracy is quite functional as an opportunity to establish
unconstrained relations between the citizens of Azerbaijan and Nagorno
Karabakh and not as a dialogue between the Azerbaijani and "Armenian
citizens" of Azerbaijan on restoring Azerbaijani SSR.