Author: Andres-Papazian

Irak

From: A. Papazian

DIPLOMATIE
A Sotchi (Russie) Serge Sarkissian a rencontré Vladimir Poutine

A Sotchi, ce samedi 9 août, la rencontre entre le président russe
Vladimir Poutine et son homologue arménien Serge Sarkissian vient de
se dérouler. Selon le ministère arménien des Affaires étrangères,
Serge Sarkissian et Vladimir Poutine ont analysé les relations
arméno-russes. Ils ont surtout discuté sur l’aspect politique ainsi
que la coopération économique et humanitaire. Les deux hommes ont
également abordé les questions internationales ainsi que régionales,
et parmi ces dernières en particulier le règlement pacifique du
conflit du Haut Karabagh. Vladimir Poutine a souligné

From: A. Papazian

HAUT KARABAGH
Réunion des présidents arménien et azerbaidjanais dimanche sous
médiation de Poutine

Moscou,(AFP) -Les présidents arménien et azerbaïdjanais, Serge
Sarkissian et Ilham Aliev, devraient se rencontrer dimanche à Sotchi
(sud de la Russie) en présence de leur homologue russe Vladimir
Poutine, pour tenter de désamorcer le risque d’un nouveau conflit de
grande ampleur autour du territoire disputé du Nagorny Karabakh, selon
les différentes parties.

“Nous n’excluons pas qu’une réunion à trois (présidents) ait lieu
demain (dimanche)” à Sotchi, a déclaré depuis la station balnéaire du
bord de la mer Noire le porte-parole du Kremlin, Dmitri Pieskov.

Les présidences arménienne et azerbaidjanaise ont également jugé très
probable la tenue dimanche d’une telle rencontre, qui serait la
première depuis un bref échange entre les présidents des deux
ex-républiques soviétiques caucasiennes voisines, en mars en marge
d’un sommet sur la sécurité nucléaire à La Haye.

L’Arménie a indiqué cette semaine redouter une “guerre” avec
l’Azerbaïdjan, sur fond de multiplication d’accrochages récents autour
du Nagorny-Karabakh — une région séparatiste azerbaïdjanaise à
majorité arménienne –, qui ont provoqué la mort d’au moins 18 soldats
des deux camps.

Rattaché à l’Azerbaïdjan à l’époque soviétique, le Nagorny-Karabakh a
été l’enjeu d’une guerre qui a fait 30.000 morts et des centaines de
milliers de réfugiés entre 1988 et 1994.

Un cessez-le-feu a été signé en 1994, mais Bakou et Erevan n’arrivent
pas à se mettre d’accord sur le statut de la région, qui reste une
source de tension dans le Caucase du Sud, une zone stratégique située
entre l’Iran, la Russie et la Turquie.

dimanche 10 août 2014,
Ara (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Al Jazeera, Qatar
Aug 10 2014

Will Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a negotiated solution?

Fighting in Ukraine, and Russia-West rivalries complicate a resolution
to the Nagorno-Karabkh conflict.

Last updated: 10 Aug 2014 09:31
by Vartan Oskanian

Given all that is happening in the Middle East and Ukraine, no one
seems to have the patience for escalation, casualties and bloodshed
any where else.

During the past two weeks, the ceasefire violations at the line of
contact between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces went well
beyond the usual and minor skirmishes, causing two dozen casualties on
both sides.

The moment that the long dormant, but simmering, Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the Caucasus began to
show signs of eruption, the UN, the US, Russia, the EU, Iran and many
other countries rushed to urge restraint, respect of the ceasefire
agreement, and an immediate resumption of interrupted negotiations.

Indeed, on August 9 and 10, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, met in the Russian resort
city of Sochi. No doubt, respecting the ceasefire and advancing the
peace process were the main agenda items. Committing to these goals is
one thing, fulfilling them is another. The prevailing circumstances,
however, are hardly conducive for their realisation.

The maintenance of the self-regulated ceasefire – the only one of its
kind in the world – since 1994, succeeded for two reasons: the
military balance between the opposing sides, and hope in the ongoing
negotiations. Over the last three years, both of these deterrents have
been seriously undermined.

Given today’s enormous discrepancy in the defence budgets of
Azerbaijan on the one hand, and the Armenian side (Armenia and
Karabakh) on the other, and the Azerbaijanis’ disproportionate
purchases of military hardware, there is, in Azerbaijan, a belief that
they have the upper hand in the military equation.

Additionally, the futility of the peace talks in the recent years
during which the differences and disagreements between the parties
have grown deeper and wider, coupled with long interruption of high
level talks, has implanted a sense of despair about the prospects for
a peaceful resolution.

So it is highly likely that the recent escalation intended to test the
military balance and attract the overstretched attention of the major
players back to the conflict and force a resumption of high level
talks.

Right to self-determination?

There are three elements that have always affected the peace talks and
the settlement process, and continue to do so: One is the global and
regional interests of the major powers and their present
interrelationships; second is the dominant trend in international
relations as manifested in the agendas and decisions of international
organisations (such as the UN and Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe); third, is the conflicting sides’ own present
political and economic situations and their capacity and will to shape
the peace process.

Over these 20 years, during each successive stage of diplomatic
activity, these three factors have always been consequential, although
never as significantly as today. Worse, never have they all been in
such a state of great and unpredictable flux.

Russia and the US, two of the three mediators in the Nagorno-Karabakh
talks, are at odds and can’t see eye to eye over major global issues,
including Ukraine and Syria. Their interests in the Caucasus are not
in harmony either. This situation is interesting and could be a
double-edged sword. One might assume that the ongoing tug of war
between them will spill over into the Karabakh talks, but it is also
possible that both sides use this as an opportunity to mend fences. It
all depends on how it will play out. But the waters are further
muddied considering the conflicting positions Russia and the US have
taken on ethnic conflicts and self-determination movements.

Russia, which opposed what it considered to be the unilateral
legitimisation of sovereignty in Kosovo, did the same by recognising
South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Most recently, it
hurriedly recognised Crimea’s referendum results by incorporating the
region into Russia.

In other words, while both the West and Russia support
self-determination efforts, they do so selectively – and unilaterally.
Therein lies the danger. This contradictory situation created by
conflicting approaches by the major players will require delicate
diplomatic manoeuvring by the sides and the mediators. During the
collapse of the Soviet Union, the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave, 80 percent Armenian, opted for self-determination by
conducting a referendum and declaring secession.

Within international organisations, there are conflicting directions.
Despite the fact that several self-determination movements achieved
independence and statehood in the past decade, such as East Timor,
South Sudan and Kosovo – the first two with membership in the United
Nations – the global organisation remains selective and ambivalent
about the self-determination phenomena and still lacks criteria,
guidelines and legal framework for a more evolved and enlightened
policy.

One thing is clear however: The very early assumptions about the root
causes of self-determination claims (ethnic and religious hatred,
extreme nationalism, irrelevant historical claims, outside
manipulation) and their resolution framework (one-size-fits-all, fear
of the domino effect, quick democratisation, ethnic groups lowering
their goals with the promise of democracy, human rights and
prosperity) have all been questioned, challenged and undermined. The
evidence is the independence of some of the movements and the
persistence of the many others, among them Nagorno-Karabakh.

The scenarios

The ultimate question is what is to happen to this no-peace, no-war
situation. What is the end game? Is there a viable political solution?

There are three possible – and not very novel – scenarios. One is the
continuation of a sustainable status quo. The second is the eruption
of war and a new situation on the ground. The third is a negotiated
solution.

Although most of the international community, including the mediators,
will automatically reject the first scenario as unacceptable and
unsustainable, this is not necessarily the case. There are many
historical examples when yesterday’s unrealistic alternative became
today’s preferred and realistic solution.

The second scenario – war – is difficult to imagine. Armenians have no
reason to start a war. If the Azerbaijanis start a war, this will be
the third time they will have tried, and they will only succeed if
they aim for a “final solution”. That would be a huge risk for
Azerbaijan, greater than for the Armenian side, given their total
reliance on their role as an energy producing and transit country.

And finally, there is the third scenario – a negotiated solution. This
is obviously the most desirable, but would require substantive
compromises. These negotiations have already gone on for 20 long,
intense years, during which five serious proposals were presented.
Four were rejected; one is still on the table.

Resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully requires two
parallel steps: A guarantee of non-resumption of military hostilities,
and a clear, mutually binding blueprint for reaching a final
settlement.

This is the challenge facing Armenians and the Azerbaijanis. A lasting
peace will come when each side acknowledges the other’s minimum
requirements, not their belligerent and maximalist demands. Before
this can happen, each side must achieve sufficient internal consensus
on its bargaining position. This hasn’t happened yet.

Vartan Oskanian is a member of Armenia’s National Assembly, a former
foreign minister and the founder of Yerevan’s Civilitas Foundation.

From: A. Papazian

Azerbaijani journalist calls on public not to believe official version
of Karen Petrosyan being ”diversionist”

15:26 10/08/2014 >> REGION

Nijat Amiraslanov, the author of the video footage that is placed on
the site of “Azeri life”, touched upon the events concerning the
citizen of Armenia Karen Petrosyan, and on his page on the social
network of Facebook shared the footage of the incident and encouraged
to disseminate it in order to expose the disinformation spread by the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

As the author of the video noted, between the residents of Azerbaijani
village Agbulag, who found the lost Armenian, and the militants that
arrived in the village, a skirmish took place, as the journalists had
noticed that Karen Petrosyan was detained by the local residents,
while the militants banned to take the events on the camera.

Author of the article tells that the local 17-year-old boys had
detained the Armenian guy. Karen Petrosyan did not offer resistance
and asked only for tea. He was taken to a rural tea house. One of the
interlocutors notes at the same time that the lost Armenian was in
white sneakers from the very beginning, and wonders “how these shoes
turned into military boots?”.

On August 8, the Azerbaijani media, reported, referring to the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, about the death of 31-year-old resident
of Chinari village of Tavush region Karen Petrosyan who was found in
Azerbaijan. He allegedly died in Baku from “heart failure.” It was
noted that “the causes of death are being investigated in Ganja
regional center of forensic and pathological anatomy.”

Earlier, the Armenian media reported that Karen Petrosyan was a
resident of Chinari village of Tavush region of Armenia. He had left
on 7 August for the nearby forest to gather firewood. Apparently,
Karen Petrosyan had got lost and had found himself in the territory of
Azerbaijan. This is confirmed by the primary statements of the
Azerbaijani media.

It should be noted that Karen Petrosyan, resident of Chinari village
of Tavush region of Armenia, was presented in Azerbaijan as a
diversionist and spy. They had even circulated in the media materials
on questioning of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia. The footage
also clearly demonstrates that he was subjected to severe tortures. He
gives only positive answers to the orders of the Azerbaijani
militants. Video footage also makes it obvious that Karen Petrosyan is
accused of allegedly being a serviceman. They present photographs
allegedly taken from his cell phone. Meanwhile, the provided high
quality images taken from the old modeled mobile phone and the absence
of the faces in the photos suggest that these pictures are not taken
from this mobile phone, and are most likely loaded there later, after
the capture of Karen Petrosyan. There is every reason to believe that
Karen Petrosyan died that night as a result of tortures by the
Azerbaijani militants. It is also noteworthy that, according to
information he died in Baku, while the autopsy is carried out in Ganja
(the distance between these two cities is 372 km).

From: A. Papazian

Russia Today
Aug 9 2014

Sochi may host Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks – Kremlin

Published time: August 09, 2014 23:11

The presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia may hold three-party
talks in Sochi on Sunday to curb the recent outbreak of violence in
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the South Caucasus, Moscow
said.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh
Sargsyan, arrived to the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Saturday for
separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We do not rule out such a meeting,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said when asked about three-party negotiations.

The leaders of the three states could also attend a combat SAMBO
competition together in the evening on Sunday, he added.

Aliyev, who was the first to talk to the Russian president, stressed
that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia “has
lasted far too long and needs to be addressed.”

Sargsyan promised to explain to Putin “the reasons behind Azerbaijan’s
deliberate escalation of the crisis on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
and the contact line.”

According to Peskov, all three presidents “expressed concern about the
growing tension and recent incidents that resulted in numerous
casualties.”

“The situation is in fact volatile and unstable and efforts are being
taken now to bring it under control,” he said.

The Armenian president’s press service announced on Thursday that
Sargsyan is eager to take part in a three-sided meeting in Sochi. The
Azerbaijani side has made no official comments on the issue.

In early August, relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deteriorated
into the worst crisis since the beginning of the century.

The recent violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic – an unrecognized
state populated by ethnical Armenians and completely surrounded by
Azeri territories – led to the deaths of 13 Azerbaijani soldiers and
five Nagorno-Karabakh troops.

The confrontation over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1988 when the
region announced its plans to seek independence from Azerbaijan and
become part of Armenia.

After Armenia and Azerbaijan obtained independence from the Soviet
Union in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum, which approved the
creation of an independent state. Azerbaijan made an attempt to regain
control over the territory and the conflict quickly escalated into a
full-scale war, in which around 30,000 people were killed.

The sides announced a ceasefire back in 1994, but were never able to
agree a peace treaty, with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic remaining an
unrecognized state.

Russia has since played the role of key mediator in the process of
finding a solution to the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In
2008, Aliyev and Sargsyan held talks with then-Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev, signing an agreement which called for a political
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

From: A. Papazian

Reuters, UK
Aug 10 2014

Russia presses Armenian, Azeri leaders for talks on Nagorno-Karabakh

By Alexei and Anishchuk

(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the leaders of
Azerbaijan and Armenia on Sunday to talk instead of fight, after more
than a dozen people were killed in clashes over the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Kremlin chief hosted a meeting between the heads of the two
ex-Soviet states this weekend, giving him a chance to play a
peacekeeping role in the former Soviet Union at a time when the West
is accusing Moscow of backing pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.

“The key thing is: There’s no bigger tragedy than the loss of human
lives,” Putin told Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Serzh
Sagrsyan in the second day of talks in his Black Sea residence in
Sochi. “We need to act wisely and patiently and pay respect to one
another to find the solution.”

Sargsyan and Aliyev agreed on the need for a political solution to the
23-year-old conflict.

“Back then (in the 1990s) we came to a conclusion that this conflict
has no military solution,” Sargsyan said. “If we keep on blaming each
other, I don’t think it will be resolved for a long time.”

The good-faith comments were echoed by Aliyev, who said: “I hope that
we will find a solution in line with… the principles of
international law in the nearest future.”

At least 16 combatants were killed and several wounded in last week’s
clashes around the region, which lies within Azerbaijan but is
populated mostly by ethnic Armenians. The clashes highlighted the risk
of broader conflict in the South Caucasus area, where oil and natural
gas flow from the Caspian region to Europe.

Fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh first erupted in 1991, when the Soviet
Union broke up. A ceasefire was called in 1994 after more than 30,000
people were killed in the fighting. The two sides have regularly
traded accusations of further violence around the region and along the
Azeri-Armenian border.

Energy-producing Azerbaijan, host to oil majors including BP, Chevron
and ExxonMobil, frequently threatens to take Nagorno-Karabakh back by
force and is spending heavily on its armed forces.

Meanwhile, Russia is at odds with the West over Ukraine. The United
States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia,
including visa bans, asset freezes and limiting access to capital for
Russian state banks, over its role in the fighting and Moscow’s
annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March.

Moscow has retaliated with counter sanctions, imposing sweeping trade
restrictions of Western food imports.

(Reporting By Alexei Anishchuk; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel, Larry King)

From: A. Papazian

Presidents of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Russian President Putin with Azeri President Aliyev and Armenian
President Sargsyan in Sochi on August 9

(c) RIA Novosti. Alexei Druzhinin
15:14 10/08/2014

Related News

EU Urges Conflicting Sides to Observe Ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh Region
Armenia Urges to Stabilize Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Zone
Events in Nagorno-Karabakh Violate Ceasefire Agreements – Russian
Foreign Ministry
Azerbaijan Protests California Town’s Recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh

BOCHAROV RUCHEY (SOCHI), August 10 (RIA Novosti) – A trilateral
meeting between the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
focused on the current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh started Sunday in
the Bocharov Ruchey residence in Russia’s southern resort city of
Sochi.

The meeting comes amid sharp ratcheting up of tensions along the
contact line of Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijan which led to
casualties on the both sides.

On Saturday, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian leader Serzh
Sargsyan held separate meetings with Vladimir Putin. During the
negotiations the warring sides exchanged opinions on the situation in
the region. Aliyev said that the conflict has dragged on and required
an immediate solution and Sargsyan blamed the Azari side for
“intentional escalation of the situation.”

Moscow in its turn also expressed concerns about the situation in
Nagorno-Karabakh, which, according to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov
remains “tense and volatile.”

According to the Defense Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,
recent attacks in the past days have claimed the lives of 25 Azeri and
five Armenian soldiers. The Azeri side insists it has lost 12
servicemen.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh has
not abated since 1988 when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region with
predominantly ethnic Armenian population announced its withdrawal from
the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Following armed actions in 1992-1994 that left some 30,000 people dead
Azerbaijan lost control over Karabakh and the adjacent territories.
Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence but does not participate in
negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan which are still
technically at war after a conflict over the disputed region.

A ceasefire was agreed on in 1994, but a permanent peace deal has
still not been signed. Since 1992, the OSCE Minsk Group and its
co-chairs Russia, France and the United States have been negotiating a
lasting and peaceful settlement of the conflict.

From: A. Papazian

Azerbaijan’s politico-military leaders bear full responsibility for
the incidents and their consequences – Artsrun Hovhannisyan

14:26 * 10.08.14

Last night and this morning, the Azerbaijani side violated the
ceasefire in several places.

Specifically, the enemy was shooting at the villages of Vazashen,
Ajgepar and others, in the Tavush region.

“After the Armenian armed forces retaliated by shooting at their
posts, they stopped fire. We state once again that it is Azerbaijan’s
politico-military leaders that bear the full responsibility for the
incidents and their consequences,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan, Spokesman for
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, wrote on his Facebook page.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Aug 9 2014

Russian president meets Armenian counterpart

9 August 2014 – 5:53pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met in Sochi with his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sargsyan. The parties focused on Armenia’s
integration into the Eurasian Economic Union established by Russia,
Kazakhstan and Belarus and the situation surrounding the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

President Putin stressed that Russian-Armenian ties are “friendly and
strategic.” According to Putin, the recent decision to join the
Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union made by the Armenian
leadership proves this.

The parties also discussed the ongoing Ukrainian crisis.

The Armenian president also told his Russian counterpart that Armenia
believed Azerbaijan is trying to cause an escalation of the Karabakh
conflict.

President Sargsyan overtly referred to recent tensions on the
Azerbaijani-Armenian front line, where a number of Azerbaijani
servicemen have died recently, allegedly preventing Armenian
saboteurs from entering Azerbaijani territory.

From: A. Papazian