KARABAKH ISSUE: CAN RESOLUTION BY SMALLEST STATE INDICATE CHANGING WESTERN ATTITUDE TO ARMENIA?
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
21.05.12 | 12:53
Photo:
Rhode Island State House
The parliament of the U.S. state of Rhode Island last week adopted
a resolution urging President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to
recognize the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The
resolution also calls upon Nagorno-Karabakh to “continue efforts
to develop as a free and independent nation” and praises Artsakh’s
“constructive involvement with the international community and its
efforts to reach a lasting solution to the existing regional problems.”
Since 1998 the United States has been the only country that has
allocated, at the level of the Congress, direct annual humanitarian
aid to Karabakh, however no calls for recognizing the NKR have been
made there before.
“It is more important than ever that the United States maintain
a principled stand for peace in this region, show that democracy
can be born from conflict, and support Nagorno Karabakh,” said
Congressman James Langevin (D-R.I.). “It is my sincerest hope that
Nagorno Karabakh’s right to self-determination can be affirmed without
further loss of life.”
This decision has been praised in Karabakh. Chairman of the NKR Public
Council for Foreign Policy and Security Masis Mayilyan reminded that
still in April 2010, the Public Council appealed to the Armenian
Diaspora organizations to initiate a process on the international
recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Mayilyan believes that,
along with negotiations on the Karabakh conflict, work should be
carried out on the international recognition of Karabakh.
Remarkably, the Rhode Island House resolution has not won as much
praise in Armenia, where the political establishment seems to be more
preoccupied with post-election processes. [And, too, the resolution
comes from the tiniest of U.S. states, with a population of just over
one million.] But Azerbaijan has duly assessed the potential risks.
“The U.S. government at various levels has repeatedly stated that it
supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Attempts to achieve
recognition by the legislature of Rhode Island are only attempts
by Armenians themselves, who thus try to deceive the U.S. public,”
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told media.
Nevertheless, the resolution of the state may become an indicator
of changing attitudes of the international community towards the
Karabakh settlement.
Some experts regard the resolution as part of U.S. policy after
the parliamentary elections in Armenia. Armenia’s foreign policy
orientation has become more specific. In particular, while on a recent
visit to Moscow, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stopped short
of declaring support for the idea of the Eurasian Union proposed by
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
at the same time had an article published in the Russian Vedomosti
newspaper in which he clearly stated that Armenia looks to Europe
and does not consider joining the emerging Eurasian Union appropriate.
Such an attitude must have been appreciated in the West. The European
Commission gave a high evaluation of the democratic development
of Armenia, which means that the European Union will build up its
financial assistance to Armenia.
The United States has also sent signals about its support to Armenia.
The US Congress’s House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations,
and Related Programs of the House Appropriations Committee proposed
raising humanitarian aid to Karabakh from $2 million to $5 million in
fiscal year 2013. The Subcommittee also suggested providing financial
aid to Armenia in the amount of no less than $40 million, thereby
rejecting the proposal of the Obama administration to reduce the
amount of aid to $32.5 million in FY 2013.
The Rhode Island House resolution, insignificant in size, could
nonetheless be an indicator of supporting Armenia not only economically
but also politically.
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