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An Opportunity To Speak Up: Who Do We Help By That?

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  • An Opportunity To Speak Up: Who Do We Help By That?

    AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK UP: WHO DO WE HELP BY THAT?
    By Karine Mangassarian

    Yerkir/arm
    March 10, 2006

    If you follow the statements made by some Armenian politicians after
    President Kocharian expressed his recent position on the issue of
    Nagorno Karabagh you might get an impression that they have never
    heard the position expressed by the Azeri leadership in the media.

    Meanwhile, the Azeri side usually refers to the military settlement of
    the conflict and increasing funding allocated to the army by millions
    of dollars.

    We are sure that this approach also underlies Azerbaijan's position in
    the negotiation process. Meanwhile, when negotiations do not yield any
    results some politicians in Armenia start claiming that our country
    again lost in the negotiations.

    We are sure that such statements made by the former leadership of the
    country or by the present opposition forces derive not from their
    concern about the settlement of the Karabagh conflict but by their
    desire to take every opportunity to criticize the government and the
    president at the same time warning the population that another was
    is possible.

    Why didn't they ever respond to Azerbaijan's similar statements
    in the past? Why is this sudden activation today? What is this -
    a tactical move to help the other side? Don't they understand that
    such statements reach the Azeri side as well and give them another
    playing card to use in the negotiation process?

    An 'excellent' example of such a statement was the opinion expressed
    yesterday by the leader of the Armenian Democratic Party Aram Sargsian
    saying that the Armenian president lost at a certain stage of the
    negotiation process and this is why he is making such militaristic
    statements. A question arises - what is then the logic underlying
    the militaristic statements Azerbaijan has been making for a long
    time? If the Azeri side is losing in the negotiation process who is
    then in a more favorable position?

    Why are some political forces in Armenia criticizing the Armenian
    president' s response to Azerbaijan's militaristic statements saying
    that the president has chosen the wrong strategy? Answering this
    question leader of National Revival Party Albert Bazeyan said,
    "I think we should not make any statements about withdrawing from
    the negotiation process. Let Azerbaijan do this."

    Bazeyan says Azerbaijan does not accept any compromises and the state
    which declares its decision to withdraw from the negotiation process
    first will have to deal with the pressure from the international
    community. "Meanwhile, Armenia has to exert diplomatic flexibility
    and resume the talks," Bazeyan noted.

    Head of ARF's parliamentary faction Levon Mkrtchian recently expressed
    an opinion that the opposition forces in Karabagh, especially in
    the Karabagh parliament, have adopted a more balanced approach on
    this issue.

    The joint statement adopted by all forces included in the Karabagh
    parliament is a proof of this point. However, the same cannot be said
    about the opposition forces outside the parliament - their approach
    is very different.

    As to the statement made by the president, Mkrtchian believes it was a
    commensurate response to Azerbaijan's militaristic stance. We should
    not forget that Armenia never resorted to such measures during the
    negotiation process and this was a goodwill act aimed at ensuring
    the continuation of talks.

    "No one can scare us with perspectives of war because we have defended
    our homeland. The side that starts a war now will be trying to conquer
    the territory of another nation," Mkrtchian said.

    Head of Orinats Yerkir Party's parliamentary faction Mher Shahgeldian
    also believes the president's response followed the recent statements
    made by Azerbaijan. As vice speaker of the National Assembly Vahan
    Hovhannissian stated in the press, we should by no means neglect the
    statements made by the Azeri side.

    Hovhannissian believes these statements show that Baku is not even
    thinking about any concessions and it is important to counter
    Azerbaijan's political propaganda with a commensurate political
    response while at the same time continuing to strengthen our army.
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