The created deadlock will result either in a war or in the recogniti

`The created deadlock will result either in a war or in the
recognition of the NKR independence’

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 15:53

Karabakh-open.info’s interview with chairman of the NKR NA standing
commission on foreign relations Vahram Atanesyan.

-Mr. Atanesyan, recently the US state of Maine has also recognized the
independence of the NKR, thus becoming the third state supporting this
position. How do you estimate this step of the state or, more
precisely, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

– Let’s give no way to emotions. The resolution of the House of
Representatives and the Senate of Maine called the US President and
the Congress `to support the self-determination and the democratic
independence of the NKR’. This is a serious decision worth of grateful
acknowledgement, yet only the federal government of the United States
is entitled to recognize the independence of the NKR.

– Do you think similar steps can influence the negotiation process and
if yes, in what way?

Three US states have adopted this resolution. I think other states as
well will express their standpoint in future. The USA is an OSCE Minsk
Group co-chair country and a superpower. Thus, the calls of state
parliaments and the Senate addressed to the US President and the
Congress can’t but be estimated by the state department and the
administration in general. Say France, for example, will hardly ignore
the circumstance that a group of influential state figures such as
deputies and senators, representatives of the executive power have
formed a friendship circle with Artsakh. Consequently, similar
circumstances will have their effect on the negotiation process. The
deadlock created by Azerbaijan at Kazan summit will result in either a
war or the worldwide recognition of the NKR independence. The
international community rejects any war, it remains only to overcome
the deadlock through the international recognition of the NKR
independence, to create an opportunity for the two parties, the NKR
and Azerbaijan, possessing equal rights to discuss issues of mutual
interests.

– Will the recognition of the NKR independence change the attitude of
the international community towards the NKR in any way?

– I seem to have answered this question. If there is any need for
details I will add that the international community has never been
negatively disposed to the NKR, today especially it is not since the
standpoint `Either everything or nothing’ supported by the Azerbaijani
authorities is a challenge first of all to the mediators, to the norms
of international relations and the diplomatic etiquette. Such an
attitude can’t be forgiven.

– In fact, the recognition of the NKR is not far off or at least some
definite progress has been recorded in this direction. What do you
think the first steps of our country should be in this situation?

– I can’t say how close the ultimate recognition is. That’s a matter
of time and facilities as well. I do not share also the `What must the
NKR do?’ question. The international recognition of a country is
stipulated neither by its wish nor even by its efforts. There is no
need to mention any example, there exist a lot of them.

Nevertheless, the most urgent problem, I think, is that of having a
new class of political figures, I mean human resources with the
mentality of modern times the solution of which requires first of all
the involvement of the education system. Our political mentality has
anchored on the `high notes’ of 88 while the world has changed a lot
and is continually changing. Our political successors must be
well-educated young people endowed with dynamic mentality without any
complexes when contacting with the outer world. They will change the
internal social environment and will face the world with their
determination of making pragmatic decisions. It seems in this case the
international recognition of the NKR will come as no surprise to
anybody and even to Azerbaijan.

http://karabakh-open.info/en/subjecten/4112-en946