Author: Kanayan Tamar

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE KAZAN SUMMIT ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

ITAR-TASS
June 27 2011
Russia

MOSCOW, June 27 (Itar-Tass) – Despite expectations the meeting
between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents Ilkham Aliyev and Serzh
Sargsyan with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev~Rs mediation ended with
no signatures put under the fundamental principles for the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement.

However, the talks can further take place without Medvedev~Rs
participation, the Kommersant business daily wrote. The Russian
president was so much disappointed with the results of the Kazan
summit that he expressed his readiness to stop his mediatory mission.
He plans to organize the next meeting between Aliyev and Sargsyan only
under the condition that the two countries~R leaders will finally sign
the document on the principles for the Karabakh conflict settlement.

The summit of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Kazan under
the patronage of Dmitry Medvedev brought about no results for which all
organizers of this high-level meeting hoped. The fundamental principles
for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement that the OSCE Minsk
Group (Russia, the U.S., France) has been actively preparing since
the beginning of the year should have become a roadmap for settling
one of the most long-simmering conflicts on the post-Soviet space.

On the eve of the summit mediators exerted a strong pressure on
Baku and Yerevan to make them sign a time- and effort-consuming
document, Kommersant reported. However, the roadmap was not signed
in Kazan. After more than an hour-long meeting the negotiators made
a short statement. In fact, they announced that they ~Sreached mutual
understanding on a range of issues which resolution contributes to the
creation of conditions for approving the fundamental principles.~T
The daily quoted a source close to the negotiations as saying that
this wording means that the sides simply ~Sonce again fixed the issues
that remain in dispute.~T

Although Baku and Yerevan express readiness to continue the talks,
the future of the dialogue remains questionable after the failure of
the Kazan summit. According to a diplomatic source engaged in the
negotiating process the Kazan summit disclosed discrepancies that
mediators considered resolved long time ago.

The Kazan summit~Rs failure may have direct consequences for the
peacemaking initiative of Dmitry Medvedev, who had been actively
engaged in the process of reconciliation between Azerbaijan and Armenia
since autumn 2009 and already organized nine tripartite meetings on the
Russian territory. According to a high-ranking official in the Kremlin,
the Russian president was so much disappointed with the summit that
he was ready to abandon his mediation efforts on the Karabakh track.

After the summit Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Eduard
Nalbandyan and Elmar Mamedyarov made contrast statements resting
responsibility for the talks~R failure on the opposite site, the
Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily wrote. Nalbandyan announced that Azerbaijan
was not ready to recognize the mediators-initiated last variant
of the fundamental principles for the Karabakh conflict settlement
proposing too many amendments. In response Mamedyarov advised his
Armenian counterpart ~Snot to engage in the PR campaign, but to
work intensively to change the negative status quo what leaders of
member-countries of the OSCE Minsk Group call for.~T

All this looks like that it was important for Baku and Yerevan not to
make a breakthrough in Kazan, but to create the platform for accusing
partners of non-constructiveness as before, the daily wrote.

REUNION DE KAZAN AU SUJET DE LA SITUATION AU HAUT-KARABAGH

France diplomatie

27 juin 2011

Les presidents armenien et azerbaïdjanais se sont rencontres a Kazan
a l’invitation du president russe le 24 juin, une rencontre conclue
par une declaration conjointe des trois presidents.

Comme l’indique cette declaration, la reunion de Kazan a permis
d’identifier ou de confirmer plusieurs points de comprehension, ce
qui permet de poursuivre la negociation sur les bases actuelles en
vue de l’adoption ulterieure des principes de règlement proposes par
les mediateurs.

Le resultat n’est pas negligeable, la France, avec ses partenaires
americains et russes dans la co-presidence du groupe de Minsk, ne
menagera pas ses efforts pour assister toutes les parties dans la
poursuite de la negociation.

Le co-president francais et ses collègues americain et russe, qui se
sont deja longuement entretenus avec les presidents de l’Armenie et
de l’Azerbaïdjan a Kazan, se rendront de nouveau a Erevan, a Bakou
et au Haut-Karabagh dans les toutes prochaines semaines pour preparer
la poursuite de la negociation.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIATORS ON KARABAKH TO VISIT REGION

news.am
June 27 2011
Armenia

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will soon visit Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh in to prepare next round of negotiations on Karabakh
conflict resolution, reads the statement released by the Foreign
Ministry of France.

The Kazan talks “identified or confirmed number of points of
understanding that enables continuing negotiations on the present basis
for the consequent adoption of the resolution principles proposed by
the mediators,” reads the statement.

According to Radio Liberty, French MFA stressed in the statement that
the result of Kazan talks is “not insignificant” and that “France
together with its partners, United States and Russia, will spare no
efforts to assist the parties to continue negotiations.”

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that at the end of the
meeting of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents in Kazan
parties released joint statement that said:

“Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation met
on June 24, 2011 in Kazan and reviewed work carried out under their
instruction to agree on draft basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement. Heads of the states noted the achievement of mutual
understanding on a number of issues. Solution of these issues
contributes to creating conditions for the approval of the basic
principles.

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed their gratitude
to the leaders of Russia, the United States and France as the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairing states for their permanent attention to the
problem of Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and valued personal efforts of
President of the Russian Federation to assist reaching an agreement.”

KARABAKH NEGOTIATIONS: IDLE TALK WITH NO ACTION
By Ivan Gharibyan

news.am
June 27 2011
Armenia

The recent days were marked by aggravation of the situation, calls
to necessarily agree on notorious basic principles, phone calls
and obvious failure of the Kazan meeting of Armenian, Russian and
Azerbaijani Presidents. As usual there was a lot of idle talk at the
highest geopolitical level but everything resumed its normal course.

The reason is too obvious. Being too self-confident, Aliyev clan is
simply not ready for a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict
– something that world powers cannot understand, or they pretend
they can’t.

On the eve of the talks President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said that
Armenia expects for Baku’s constructive proposals. The proposals
were received but they appeared to be more than 10 which is rather
“non-constructive”. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
immediately said Azerbaijani side in fact ruined the talks. There is
no reason to doubt Nalbandian’s words not because he is representing
the Armenian side. In fact Baku’s belated accusations did not suggest
any real refutation.

The next proof that Azerbaijani authoritarian dictator is getting
ready for war, not peace, was his speech during the military parade
in Baku following the Kazan meeting. In his address on the occasion
of the Day of Azerbaijani armed forces, Aliyev mentioned the “need
to restore territorial integrity”. In order “to prove” intentions
to continue efforts towards peaceful settlement, it was emphasized
that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity can be restored by any means,
including military actions.

Aliyev demonstrated his militaristic “optimism” during the parade.

When Azerbaijani flag was carried in the announcer expressed his
confidence that “it will be soon unfurled over Karabakh, over Khankendi
(in Azerbaijanis’ dreams it is the name of Stepanakert, the capital
of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic).

As a result, less than two days after talks in Kazan, which the
mediators have dared to announce as a turning point, Azerbaijani
authorities showed geopolitical actors that they do not care for any
calls to resolve Karabakh conflict peacefully and without delay.

On the contrary – the militarization of the country will continue
and Azerbaijan will remain a real threat to peace and security in
the region.

This is the Gordian Knot of current situation over the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement. Yerevan is ready to make reasonable concessions, while
Baku is eager to return to 1988, thus disrupting the peace process.

Thus, the regional situation seems to be rather complicated. Moreover,
the Azerbaijani authorities have managed to cheat such geopolitical
antagonists, as the U.S. and Russia.

Washington did not succeed in the Armenian-Turkish process, which,
as the saying goes was failed by Turkey’s “young brother” Azerbaijan.

Then, not even getting sanctions from the West, Baku decided it is
high time to tarnish Moscow’s reputation in the region. The situation
appeared too dull for Moscow. First Aliyev said he appreciated personal
participation of Dmitry Medvedev in negotiations but then disrupts
them in Medvedev’s territory.

As a result, major geopolitical players are faced with a task: what
should they do with rebellious Azerbaijan which is not playing the
game by rules, cheating everyone and is willing to unleash new war
in the region.

The Kazan meeting’s result is obvious: it is impossible to make
Azerbaijan come to senses just by voicing calls and persuasions.

Moscow and Washington must take more serious measures.

JOHN BOLTON ADVISED U.S. PRESIDENT TO ATTRIBUTE MORE ATTENTION TO SOUTH CAUCASUS

news.am
June 27 2011
Armenia

Possible candidate for upcoming U.S. presidential elections John
Bolton advised Barack Obama administration to attribute more attention
to South Caucasus region. Bolton stressed that Russia persistently
tries to restore its influence on the region. He reminded of Russian
PM Vladimir Putin’s estimations of the collapse of Soviet Union,
attributing it to the current processes in South Caucasus, reports
Caucasus Online.

“We have to remember the statement of then-president Vladimir Putin,
that the collapse of the USSR is the greatest geopolitical catastrophe
of 20th century,” said Bolton, adding that these words fully reflect
Russia’s current policy in South Caucasus.

According to the politician, Obama’s administration must openly
support Azerbaijan in the context to Karabakh conflict settlement,
since except Armenian and Azerbaijani sides it involves Russia as well.

“We must not forget Russia’s assault of Georgia of August 2008. Russia
aims at restoring its influence over the region and the U.S. must
give due attention to that fact,” said Bolton.

MEDVEDEV FAILS IN MEDIATING A COMPROMISE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Georgian Daily
June 27 2011
Georgia

The Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Kazan on June 24 was
intended to be an event of greater significance than any of the
long series of trilateral meetings that had much elaborated the
“agreeing-to-disagree” agenda. A leak from the Kremlin indicated that
the two Caucasian states that had been locked in confrontation since
the collapse of the USSR 20 years ago were ready to sign a “road
map” of steps towards a solution to the conflict around Karabakh
(Kommersant, June 24).

Skeptics expertly pointed to the solid record of failed attempts,
and indeed the hopes for a symbolic deal at the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Astana last
December were proven false much to the disappointment of President
Nursultan Nazarbayev, who grandly presided over that all-European
gathering (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, RIA Novosti, June 24). Skeptics were
proved correct yet again as the Kazan “road map” remained an unsigned
draft, but there is more to this failure than just another setback
to best intentions caused by parochial animosities.

One significant difference is created by the eruption of revolutionary
energy in the Middle East and North Africa since the start of
this year, which has shown with shocking clarity that stagnant
dictatorships can collapse from absurdly insignificant triggers with
no external conspiracies. This impact is less pronounced in Armenia,
where political opposition was able to stage massive protests on many
occasions, but more so in Azerbaijan, where the corrupt hereditary
regime resembles too closely the Arab oil monarchies (Moskovskiy
Novosti, June 23). President Ilham Aliyev used to be treated as a
guest of honor in Western capitals, but now he is perceived as just
another authoritarian leader smoking hookah on a tinderbox. Moscow
has assumed that it would make him more dependent upon support from
Russia and thus more agreeable in strategic bargaining. Aliyev,
however, assumes that the messy violence in Libya, Syria and Yemen
is changing the attitude to the “Arab spring,” so now he is pushing
for an official visit to Washington (Regnum, June 23).

Another change is the decline of the geopolitical profile of the South
Caucasus as the competition between the US and Russia has essentially
disappeared. Local political elites have fancied their intrigues
as a contribution to a “Great Game,” but now they discover that
their options for playing on the differences between the “majors”
have narrowed to irrelevance. For that matter, the postponement
with implementation of the Nabucco pipeline project, which was
one of the key symbols of geopolitical struggle for resources,
has produced little if any impression (Ekspert, May 10; Kommersant,
June 8). Moscow obviously is interested in asserting its central role
in managing the Karabakh conflict, but instead of inventing its own
solution, it insisted on the basic principles adopted by the OSCE
mediators in 2007 and reiterated by US President Barack Obama at the
G8 Deauville summit in May (The Moscow Times, June 24). Neither party
to the conflict is prepared to make all the required concessions,
nor can Russian guarantees convince them to accept the risks.

The fiasco in Kazan is a very personal setback for President Dmitry
Medvedev who has invested much effort in this mediation seeking to
gain a better entry in the history books than a Commander-in-Chief who
took holidays on the eve of the war with Georgia and compensated by
recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states (Regnum,
June 24). Despite the persistent networking, he has not developed good
chemistry with either Aliyev or Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
but more importantly he has gained little respect from either. They
cannot see him as a leader who has authority to make real decisions,
but can see through his urge to score a diplomatic triumph before the
fast-approaching reconfiguration of Russia’s leadership. They also
understand that his chance for staying in the second presidential
term is slim at best, so his reassurances would expire in less than
one year. Russia commands serious influence in the South Caucasus,
but Medvedev is not a credible messenger.

The non-agreement in Kazan was perfectly amicable in the sense that
Armenia and Azerbaijan blamed one another in deliberate sabotage and
confirmed readiness to continue the trialogue. There is, however,
a risk of a breakdown of the fragile ceasefire that has held since
mid-1994 without any international monitoring. The status-quo is more
unacceptable for Azerbaijan than it is for Armenia, and the balance
of military power is also shifting in its favor as in 2010 it spent
3.5 times more on defense than the “enemy” and has increased its 2011
military budget by as much as 50 percent (, June 26).

Aliyev has flatly turned down Medvedev’s idea to energize the peace
process by signing a legally binding document on non-use of force
and maintains the position that his country has the right to liberate
the occupied territories by military means (RIA Novosti, June 24).

Azerbaijani elites are enjoying the petro-prosperity too much to
contemplate a “total war,” but a limited military operation aimed at
capturing a symbolically rather than strategically significant piece
of no-man’s-land could be attempted. Armenia, deeply worried about
Azerbaijan’s rearmament, cannot afford even a minor defeat and so
would have to respond disproportionally setting in motion a spiral
of escalation.

Experts have been speculating about such scenarios for years measuring
the grain of salt to take with the increasingly militant official
rhetoric in Baku, and this created a body of prophecies, which could
turn out to be self-fulfilling. Medvedev cannot check these dangerous
dynamics but the problem is more than just his inability to compel
the two parties to behave. It is useful to remember that Moscow’s
failure to organize a peacekeeping operation in Karabakh back in 1994
was caused by the deepening instability in the North Caucasus leading
to the first Chechen war. The North Caucasus is now again engulfed by
violence, which cuts into the much-valued political stability of the
country and threatens to undermine its integrity. Stagnating Russia
cannot project any stability in its neighborhood, the feebleness of
its leadership aggravates every conflict from the brewing revolution
in Belarus to the state failure in Kyrgyzstan, and Karabakh could
become an “angry bird” that hits the shaky construct of collapsible
institutions.

Source:

DRAW SEPARATES POLITICAL RIVALS

New York Times

June 27 2011
NY

Russia and Georgia will be separated in the draw for the 2014 World
Cup, as will Armenia and Azerbaijan, in a bid to limit potential
political problems. Russia and Georgia briefly warred in August 2008.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have no diplomatic relations, were drawn
together in Euro 2008 qualifying but the matches were never played.

The countries are in a territorial dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh
region.

Eleven soccer players have been fined and given suspended prison
sentences for their role in fixing a top-tier game during the 2005-6
season in Poland.

TUMO CENTER FOR CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO BE OPENED ON AUGUST 12
Alisa Gevorgyan

“Radiolur”
28.06.2011

President Serzh Sargsyan visited today the Tumo Center for Creative
Technologies established at the initiative of Sam and Silva Simonian.

Sam Simonian is the founder of the American APG Labs AM Company.

The Tumo Center for Creative Technologies will be opened on August
12 at 16, Halabyan Street. The above-mentioned company launched its
branch in Armenia in 1997 and is engaged in working out programs in
the field of High Technologies.

The Center aims to implement educational programs with application of
information technologies, introduce the young people to international
technological achievements, organize and hold classes, seminars, etc.

It will serve as an open studio for Armenian youth, where they will
be creating their own projects.

According to the Director of the Tumo Center Marilu Papazian, it will
be open to all young people aged 12-18, who are interested in arts
and information technologies.

L’ARMENIE ACCUSE L’AZERBAIDJAN DE L’ECHEC DU SOMMET DE KAZAN
Marion

armenews.com
lundi 27 juin 2011

L’Armenie a accuse l’Azerbaïdjan de l’echec du sommet de Kazan,
en avancant que le president azerbaïdjanais Ilham Aliev a saborde
l’accord-cadre de paix sur le Haut-Karabagh avec des revendications
de dernière minute.

” Il n’y a eu aucune percee a Kazan car l’Azerbaïdjan ne s’est pas
montre pret a accepter la dernière version des principes de base
proposee par les trois co-presidents [du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE]
“, a explique le ministre des Affaires etrangères Edouard Nalbandian
après les pourparlers, vendredi 24 juin.

S’adressant aux journalistes, E. Nalbandian a declare qu’I. Aliev
a presente ” une douzaine de modifications ” aux principes de base
qui sont inacceptables pour la partie armenienne representee par le
president Serge Sarkissian.

Bakou n’a pas nie ces accusations. Le ministre des Affaires etrangères
Elmar Mammadyarov a declare, samedi 25 juin, qu’Erevan a rejete une
version precedente des principes de base, presentee a Madrid en 2007.

” La partie armenienne est restee silencieuse quand l’Azerbaïdjan
a annonce qu’elle acceptait une version actualisee du document de
Madrid qui a ete presentee officiellement par les co-presidents du
Groupe de Minsk a Athènes en 2009 “, a declare E. Mammadyarov, selon
l’agence de presse Trend.

E. Mammadyarov a affirme que la reunion de Kazan n’a pas repondu aux
attentes parce que ” la partie armenienne exige plus de concessions
de l’Azerbaïdjan “. Neanmoins, il a dit qu’il ” a eu l’impression ”
que les deux presidents armenien et azerbaïdjanais avaient l’intention
de continuer a ” travailler intensivement ” en vue de trouver une
solution definitive.

S’exprimant a l’Assemblee parlementaire du Conseil de l’Europe
a Strasbourg, mercredi dernier, S. Sarkissian avait averti des
eventuelles objections azeries de dernière minute au règlement propose.

” Au cours de l’annee dernière, le scenario selon lequel l’Azerbaïdjan
arrive avec des modifications et de nouvelles propositions s’est
repete au moins quatre fois “, a affirme pour sa part E. Nalbandian.

” Mais nous allons poursuivre les negociations car il n’y a aucun autre
moyen de parvenir a un règlement. Le conflit ne peut etre resolu que
de manière pacifique, par le biais de negociations. ”

E. Nalbandian a insiste sur le fait que la reunion de Kazan, sous
la mediation du president russe Dmitri Medvedev, a ete ” utile ”
a cet egard car ce dernier a reaffirme sa volonte d’atteindre un
accord de paix.

DECEPTION DE DMITRI MEDVEDEV
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
lundi 27 juin 2011

Le president de la Federation de Russie Dmitri Medvedev s’est dit
decu a l’issue du sommet de Kazan et qu’il etait pret a mettre fin
a sa mission de mediation.

Alors que Bakou et Erevan se disent prets a poursuivre les
negociations, le sort de leur dialogue après l’effondrement du sommet
de Kazan demeure en question. Selon certaines sources des diplomates
impliques dans le processus de negociation, ont revele des differents
inattendus alors que les intermediaires les avaient longtemps
consideres comme regles. “Il y a des questions aussi techniques que
de fond – comme le futur statut du Haut-Karabakh – a explique une
source,” b “.- Mais le problème n’est meme pas dans les differences,
mais du fait que les parties ont plusieurs fois change leur position.

” Si dans un avenir proche l’Azerbaïdjan et l’Armenie ne font
pas preuve de volonte pour resoudre les problèmes accumules, nous
supposerons que la mediation est terminee “, a averti un proche du
Kremlin. En outre, a-t-il dit, Dmitri Medvedev, va placer les parties
face a un ultimatum pour la prochaine reunion tripartite. Le sommet
sera possible seulement si les deux parties declarent formellement
qu’elles sont pretes a signer les principes de base” reglant le
conflit du Haut-Karabakh, rapporte le magazine “Kommersant”.