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ASTANA MEETING PROVED NEED FOR EQUAL RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH - ANDRIAS GHUKASYAN
22:05 * 30.05.14
In an interview with Tert.am, political scientist Andrias Ghukasyan
commented on the Astana meeting and said that it could not be a
surprise for the Armenian delegation.
According to him, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan found himself in
a deadlock. The Astana meeting debunked the myth that Serzh Sargsyan
was forced to decide in favor of Armenia's accession to the European
Economic Union.
Mr Ghukasyan, what is the reason for Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazabrayev reading out Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's letter,
saying that Armenia can join the Eurasian Economic Council without
Nagorno-Karabakh, similarly to its membership in the CIS. He thus
put Armenia's president in an awkward situation and conveyed the
Azerbaijani president's concern.
The fact is that Armenia cannot have international commitments or
acquire any right to any territory outside its borders. And the
fact is that no state or international organization has recognized
Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Armenia. Rather, as a result of this
negotiation format the world views Nagorno-Karabakh as part of
Azerbaijan. This fact was expected to come to light at one of the
stages of the process of Armenia's accession to the Eurasian Economic
Union. This issue was discussed months ago, when Armenia applied for
accession to the Customs Union. It was noted that Armenia could join
the Customs Union within its boundaries. In this respect, President
Nazarbayev confirmed the reality. I do not think it was a surprise
for the Armenian delegation.
But does Russia form part of the Eurasian Economic Union within its
internationally recognized boundaries?
Yes, Kazakhstan and Belarus recognized the Crimea annexation as
Russia's legal action.
That is, of importance is the recognition by the Eurasian Economic
Union founding states?
Yes, because neither Russia nor Kazakhstan or Belarus did not
recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Armenia. Moreover, they consider
Nagorno-Karabakh part of Azerbaijan. This problem was expected to
arise at the discussion of Armenia's accession to the Eurasian Economic
Union. And Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian could not fail
to know what President Serzh Sargsyan would have to face.
What diplomatic solutions do you expect?
Serzh Sargsyan cannot recognize Nagorno-Karabakh because, as a
political figure, he gave his consent to all the principles that imply
Nagorno-Karabakh must be part of Azerbaijan and only after that get
a right to self-determination. I do not see any solution for Serzh
Sargsyan. He is in a deadlock.
Can Serzh Sargsyan decline the proposal to join the Eurasian Economic
Union?
Not that he can. Rather, the Astana meeting debunked the myth that
anyone had pressed Serzh Sargsyan. It showed that Armenia is of no
political or economic interest to the Eurasian Union and that Serzh
Sargsyan is not a political figure worthy of respect.
That is, Serzh Sargsyan's counterparts did him a favor by showing
why Armenia cannot join the Eurasian Union?
I do not think they did him a favor. The Armenian delegation's aim was
to conceal the problem. That is, the problem of Armenia's borders. And
the attempt obviously failed, which was not a pleasant experience
for the Armenian delegation.
David Babayan, Spokesman for the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR), expressed concerns over the fact Armenia can join the
Eurasian Economic Union without Nagorno-Karabakh. On the other hand,
Spokesman for Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan
has stated once more that no customs border can be established between
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Do not you see any contradiction?
If we take a realistic view of the matter, Armenia has a $4bn foreign
debt now, with Nagorno-Karabakh's debt being at least $1.5bn. Under
the circumstances, when Nagorno-Karabakh's debt to Armenia is so
huge that it can hardly be paid off, the statement that a checkpoint
does not matter for Nagorno-Karabakh is untrue. This is of paramount
importance for us and a serious challenge for our people. Armenia is
the only state giving loans to Nagorno-Karabakh at interest rates. All
the other states granted money to Nagorno-Karabakh except for Armenia,
which is giving loans at interest rates to prevent Nagorno-Karabakh's
independent economic and military development. And this reality is
boomeranging now. We see that the Robert Kocharyan-Serzh Sargsyan
model, which has been in effect for years, has caused great damage to
our national interests. This challenge suggests the need for serious
changes. All the relations between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh must
be specified for the two states to cooperate as equal entities. This
is not so now.
The recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh's equal rights by Armenia is a task
of paramount importance. Russia followed this course by recognizing
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Azerbaijani president will welcome
the decision because it will absolve him of the responsibility to
grant Nagorno-Karabakh the right to self-determination. But none
of Azerbaijan's political forces is ready for that. One thing is
to recognize a fact, but quite another thing is to afford such an
opportunity.
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian
22:05 * 30.05.14
In an interview with Tert.am, political scientist Andrias Ghukasyan
commented on the Astana meeting and said that it could not be a
surprise for the Armenian delegation.
According to him, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan found himself in
a deadlock. The Astana meeting debunked the myth that Serzh Sargsyan
was forced to decide in favor of Armenia's accession to the European
Economic Union.
Mr Ghukasyan, what is the reason for Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazabrayev reading out Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's letter,
saying that Armenia can join the Eurasian Economic Council without
Nagorno-Karabakh, similarly to its membership in the CIS. He thus
put Armenia's president in an awkward situation and conveyed the
Azerbaijani president's concern.
The fact is that Armenia cannot have international commitments or
acquire any right to any territory outside its borders. And the
fact is that no state or international organization has recognized
Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Armenia. Rather, as a result of this
negotiation format the world views Nagorno-Karabakh as part of
Azerbaijan. This fact was expected to come to light at one of the
stages of the process of Armenia's accession to the Eurasian Economic
Union. This issue was discussed months ago, when Armenia applied for
accession to the Customs Union. It was noted that Armenia could join
the Customs Union within its boundaries. In this respect, President
Nazarbayev confirmed the reality. I do not think it was a surprise
for the Armenian delegation.
But does Russia form part of the Eurasian Economic Union within its
internationally recognized boundaries?
Yes, Kazakhstan and Belarus recognized the Crimea annexation as
Russia's legal action.
That is, of importance is the recognition by the Eurasian Economic
Union founding states?
Yes, because neither Russia nor Kazakhstan or Belarus did not
recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Armenia. Moreover, they consider
Nagorno-Karabakh part of Azerbaijan. This problem was expected to
arise at the discussion of Armenia's accession to the Eurasian Economic
Union. And Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian could not fail
to know what President Serzh Sargsyan would have to face.
What diplomatic solutions do you expect?
Serzh Sargsyan cannot recognize Nagorno-Karabakh because, as a
political figure, he gave his consent to all the principles that imply
Nagorno-Karabakh must be part of Azerbaijan and only after that get
a right to self-determination. I do not see any solution for Serzh
Sargsyan. He is in a deadlock.
Can Serzh Sargsyan decline the proposal to join the Eurasian Economic
Union?
Not that he can. Rather, the Astana meeting debunked the myth that
anyone had pressed Serzh Sargsyan. It showed that Armenia is of no
political or economic interest to the Eurasian Union and that Serzh
Sargsyan is not a political figure worthy of respect.
That is, Serzh Sargsyan's counterparts did him a favor by showing
why Armenia cannot join the Eurasian Union?
I do not think they did him a favor. The Armenian delegation's aim was
to conceal the problem. That is, the problem of Armenia's borders. And
the attempt obviously failed, which was not a pleasant experience
for the Armenian delegation.
David Babayan, Spokesman for the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR), expressed concerns over the fact Armenia can join the
Eurasian Economic Union without Nagorno-Karabakh. On the other hand,
Spokesman for Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan
has stated once more that no customs border can be established between
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Do not you see any contradiction?
If we take a realistic view of the matter, Armenia has a $4bn foreign
debt now, with Nagorno-Karabakh's debt being at least $1.5bn. Under
the circumstances, when Nagorno-Karabakh's debt to Armenia is so
huge that it can hardly be paid off, the statement that a checkpoint
does not matter for Nagorno-Karabakh is untrue. This is of paramount
importance for us and a serious challenge for our people. Armenia is
the only state giving loans to Nagorno-Karabakh at interest rates. All
the other states granted money to Nagorno-Karabakh except for Armenia,
which is giving loans at interest rates to prevent Nagorno-Karabakh's
independent economic and military development. And this reality is
boomeranging now. We see that the Robert Kocharyan-Serzh Sargsyan
model, which has been in effect for years, has caused great damage to
our national interests. This challenge suggests the need for serious
changes. All the relations between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh must
be specified for the two states to cooperate as equal entities. This
is not so now.
The recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh's equal rights by Armenia is a task
of paramount importance. Russia followed this course by recognizing
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Azerbaijani president will welcome
the decision because it will absolve him of the responsibility to
grant Nagorno-Karabakh the right to self-determination. But none
of Azerbaijan's political forces is ready for that. One thing is
to recognize a fact, but quite another thing is to afford such an
opportunity.
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian