VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN: CONCEPTION OF REPORT ON KARABAKH PROBLEM TO BE SUBMITTED TO OSCE PA IS VERY SENSIBLE AND BALANCED
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. On July 1-5, the annual session of the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be convened in Washington, at the
end of which a final resolution will be adopted. A delegation headed
by RA NA Vice-Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian will participate in the
session, as well as in the work of Assembly’s standing committees in
this period. Artashes Geghamian, Head of the National Unity faction,
and Samvel Nikoyan, member of the RPA faction, are also members of
the delegation. The report of Goran Lenmarker, special representative
on Karabakh issue, is among the issues already fixed in the initial
variant of Assembly’s agenda. The report is the result of almost
2-year study of the problem. “In spite of some clauses that from
force of habit pass from one document to another, in particular,
displaced persons, occupied territories and others, the report’s
conception is right, sensible and balanced,” Vahan Hovhannisian, head
of the Armenian delegation in OSCE PA, mentioned in his interview
to Noyan Tapan’s correspondent. G.Lenmarker mentions in his report
that the problem’s solution is European integration. “I would highly
estimate the report in two respects. Firstly, in difference to similar
reports voiced earlier, G.Lenmarker also presents Nagorno Karabakh’s
viewpoint, i.e for him the conflict isn’t on the Armenia-Azerbaijan
plane but he recognizes Nagorno Karabakh as a conflict party
presenting the latter’s viewpoints and expectations concerning the
conflict’s settlement. Secondly, the reporter also considers Nagorno
Karabakh’s joining with Armenia as a possible variant of settlement
of the conflict,” V.Hovhannisian emphasized. NA Vice-Speaker also
attached importance to the reporter’s affirmation that the main
problem of the conflict is Nagorno Karabakh’s status. According
to him, G.Lenmarker “understood very well that issues on refugees,
occupied territories raised by Azerbaijan are derivative.” By the way,
Lenmarker is against Nagorno Karabakh’s status of an independent state,
he also questions the latter’s becoming subordinate to Azerbaijan,
considering this an “unbearable burden” for Azerbaijan. According to
the reporter, the international community isn’t ready to recognize
the possible independence of numerous unions with small population
making part of the South Caucasus considering the consequences
of region’s division to be dangerous. Analysing the anxiety of
conflict parties, Goran Lenmarker mentions the national security
for the Armenian party. According to him, as a result of the painful
historic experience of the the Ottoman and Russian empires and Soviet
period the sense of being endangered, defenceless took a deep root in
Armenians. The main anxiety of Azeri party is unfairness, the country’s
considerable part is occupied and there are 1 mln displaced persons. As
a result, the sense of being the victim of aggression took root in
Azerbaijan. Lenmarker suggests 2 parties creating a joint committee
of truth and reconciliation that will try to find solutions mutually
satisfying the parties.. The reporter lays an exact claim to open
all borders, including those with third countries, to start mutual
integration without risking the parties’ security, to provide a high
degree of democracy, as well as citizens’ free movement and economic
integration. According to Vahan Hovhannisian, the above-mentioned
report caused dissatisfaction among the Azeri party and Sattar Safarov,
head of the Azeri delegation in OSCE PA, “seeing no way out” submitted
an additional draft resolution on Karabakh conflict. It can be put
on the agenda in case of getting positive conclusion by the general
standing committee consisting of heads of all national delegations
in the Assembly and subject standing committee to be appointed a
profile. By the way, our neighbor Georgia submitted an additional
issue on Abkhazia to the Assembly. According to Vahan Hovhannisian, the
Armenian delegation is inclined not to participate in the discussion
of any draft resolution not favorable for Armenia in general outline,
declaring that this will have no legal consequences for it.