BAKU: American political analyst recommends Armenian government to t

The Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency
Jan 11 2015

American political analyst recommends Armenian government to think
about the people and the country’s sovereignty

11.01.2015 [12:18]

Washington, January 11, AzerTAc

The Hill newspaper has published an article by political commentator
Jason Katz entitled “Impediments to regional development in the South
Caucasus”, in which he analyzes the economic cooperation between the
countries of the region and describes Armenia as the only state to
stay out of regional projects and global development. Mr Katz notes
that “few regions of the world are, in general, as prosperous, stable
and reliably Western-oriented as the South Caucasus. The South
Caucasus, situated on the southern frontier of what was the Soviet
Union, has become, with one exception, one of the most cohesively
prosperous regions in the world and amongst the most influential and
affluent in the former Soviet Union.””Comprised of Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Armenia and peripherally Turkey, the South Caucasus region
is, mostly, energy rich and stands as a much needed and viable
alternative for European natural gas supplies in the near-term and
well into the future.”He touches upon a recent meeting of the Turkish,
Azerbaijani and Georgian FMs in Turkey’s northeastern province of Kars
to discuss regional cooperation. “This fourth trilateral summit
included meetings between Azerbaijan’s Elmar Mammadyarov, Georgia’s
Tamar Beruchashvili and Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu.” Mr Katz writes
that “conspicuously absent from this meeting and, indeed, from all
discussions on regional development, energy and general regional
prosperity was Armenia. Armenia, another former Soviet Republic, has
oddly chosen to excuse itself from the growing prosperity of the
region.” “Why, you ask? Armenia has taken a decidedly different path,
a path that has necessitated all but the complete surrender of
Armenia’s sovereignty.” He says that as the other nations of the South
Caucasus have embarked upon and continue to navigate independent
foreign and economic policies leading to prosperity for their people,
Armenia has increasingly become a vassal state in direct contradiction
to the best interests of their people. According to Mr Katz, at the
twilight of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over
the Azerbaijani lands of Nagorno Karabakh and its surrounding
districts. “Following ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis in Nagorno
Karabakh and surrounding regions, Azerbaijan possesses nearly a
million refugees, designated as internally displaced peoples. In their
place is an unrecognized area, even by Armenia, seeking to be the
second failed Armenian state. During the fighting, Turkey closed its
border with Armenia in solidarity with Azerbaijan.” “Fast forward more
than 20 years and the entire region is fabulously prosperous while
Armenia stubbornly holds on to Azerbaijani lands and is thus left in
the cold. It would seem to make sense to the Armenian leadership and
Armenian diaspora, but to few else on the global stage. Armenian
leadership must do itself a favor and in doing so save the sovereignty
and viability of their nation,” he says.Jason Katz is the principal of
TSG, LLC, a consultancy that advises foreign governments, NGOs and
corporations in the realms of strategic communications, politics and
policy. He is also the former head of Public Affairs and Public
Relations for the American Jewish Committee, based in Los Angeles.

Yusif BabanliSpecial Correspondent

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress