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Aliyev Getting Ready For War? Nagorno-Karabakh Press Digest

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  • Aliyev Getting Ready For War? Nagorno-Karabakh Press Digest

    ALIYEV GETTING READY FOR WAR? NAGORNO-KARABAKH PRESS DIGEST

    Regnum, Russia
    July 1 2006

    The model of Tatarstan does not suit Karabakh

    The key difficulty in the Karabakh peace talks is to determine the
    future status of that territory, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
    Mammadyarov told journalists. He noted that the sides are showing
    no much of agreement yet, but if they agree on this issue, they will
    ensure real progress in the talks. 525th Daily reports Mammadyarov as
    saying that Azerbaijan is ready to provide Karabakh with the highest
    autonomy status possible within its territorial integrity. He gave
    the example of Tatarstan, a very wide autonomy within the Russian
    Federation, whose constitution allows it to build relations with
    foreign countries and to open representations abroad.

    The daily notes that the model of Tatarstan was discussed as early as
    September 1993 by then acting Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev
    and Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossyan during their Moscow
    meeting organized by Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Later, former
    state advisor Vafa Guluzade, who was present at the meeting, said
    that Armenia rejected this proposal, while the Russian side showed
    no specific approach to it. In the spring 2001, during the talks in
    Paris and Key-West, the model of Tatarstan was again on agenda. The
    head of the Azeri delegation to PACE Ilham Aliyev suggested applying
    this model as a way to resolve the Karabakh conflict, but the
    Armenian side kept objecting to any proposals for keeping Karabakh
    within Azerbaijan. In this light, Baku's return to the Tatarstan
    model is quite noteworthy. "There are several ways to determine
    the status of disputed territories in the world: highest level of
    autonomy, condominium (joint government), territorial swap, special
    agreement. Until now the Armenian side has been rejecting the proposals
    for Karabakh's autonomy within Azerbaijan and territorial swap."

    Joint government in Karabakh is contrary to the interests of the
    Azerbaijani statehood as it means that Azerbaijan will lose its
    sovereignty over that territory. Special agreement has a big potential
    for attaining mutual understanding and is used mostly for resolving
    conflicts with separatist regions. In this case, a central government
    and a region conclude an agreement on coordinating sovereignty. For
    example, in Russia Tatarstan decides on its own in all spheres except
    foreign policy, defense and security."

    The idea of giving Karabakh "wide" autonomy is taking specific shape,
    says KarabakhOpen.com: "The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister has finally
    outlined this idea and said that autonomy may be similar to the
    status of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation." The daily quotes
    experts as saying that the new ideas of the Azerbaijani FM are just
    "agony," the last try to preserve nominal authority over Karabakh -
    no coincidence, they are beginning to talk about this now that the
    independence of Montenegro has been recognized.

    The leader of the Fatherland faction of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament
    Araik Haroutyunyan says that NKR will not discuss any of Azerbaijan's
    proposals going beyond its independence. "As regards Mammadyarov's
    idea, I would advise him to first consider providing autonomy to
    Azerbaijani Talish and Kurdish minorities," says Haroutyunyan.

    The representative of the ARF Dashnaktsoutyun to NKR Artur Mossiyan
    notes that this is not the first time the Azerbaijani authorities
    are making such a statement. "The Azeri authorities have always said
    that they are ready to provide Karabakh with the 'widest' autonomy
    existing in the world. Perhaps, for Mammadyarov Tatarstan's autonomy
    is the widest, but the Karabakh people and authorities and our party
    have always confirmed their will to have an independent state and
    have always rejected any scenarios implying Karabakh's submission to
    Azerbaijan," says Mossiyan.

    The chairman of the parliamentary commission on defense and security
    Rudik Martirossyan says that the situation in Karabakh is drastically
    different from the situation in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transdnestr or
    even Tatarstan. Quite different analogues are applicable to Karabakh -
    "as we have never been part of independent Azerbaijan."

    "This statement is just one more impracticable proposal as no nation
    who has once gained independence through a referendum can be submitted
    by another nation. The proposal of the Azeri side is unacceptable to
    Karabakh," says Martirossyan.

    Commenting on Mammadyarov's statement, Nagorno Karabakh FM Georgy
    Petrosyan says: "This statement - unless it is just one more
    propaganda move - means that Azerbaijan is ready to federalize its
    state. So, I hope they will give this autonomy to the Lezgin, Talish
    and other minorities living in their country. As regards NKR - with
    whom Azerbaijan avoids to contact - I would like to note that the
    Azerbaijani authorities cannot give one or another status to Nagorno
    Karabakh as this is outside their competence. The status of Nagorno
    Karabakh has been legally determined by its people." (The information
    portal of the Nagorno Karabakh FM) Is Aliyev getting ready for war?

    525th daily reports Azerbajani President Ilham Aliyev to say during
    the 33rd meeting of the FMs of the Organization for the Islamic
    Conference that Azerbaijan hopes for peaceful resolution of the
    Karabakh conflict but must consider other scenarios too. He said
    that this problem is an obstacle to cooperation in the whole region:
    "We are trying to solve this problem by peaceful means but we cannot
    put up with the present reality. Azerbaijan's territorial integrity
    is recognized in the whole world. The Armenian side defies the 4 UN
    resolutions urging it to withdraw its troops from Azerbaijani lands."

    "Azerbaijan has never agreed to the violation of its territorial
    integrity. The talks will lead to peace only when Azerbaijan's
    territorial integrity is restored," Aliyev said.

    The Azerbaijani army can liberate the territories occupied by
    Armenia at any moment, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev told
    journalists on June 22. Day.Az reports him as noting that, in fact,
    Azerbaijan is still at war with Armenia. As a result, the situation
    on the frontline is constantly unstable, the lives of Azeri soldiers
    are constantly in danger, but the Azerbaijani army can rebuff any
    attack by the enemy at any moment.

    "Should we continue the talks, at all, if nothing is coming of them?

    This has long become just an attempt to follow fashion - in fact,
    humiliation of the Azerbaijani people. We better stop dreaming we may
    benefit from this gathering. We all remember how Kocharyan shamelessly
    said at PACE that he is proud that he took part in 'the liberation of
    Karabakh'! What talks can we have with this terrorist who is proud
    of his Fascist ideology - an ideology that is agonizing the whole
    region?! While Azerbaijan is gradually losing ground at the talks,
    the Armenians are getting increasingly confident of their strength and
    impunity. While our rich are just thinking how to fill their purses
    and pockets, the Armenians are gaining ground by availing themselves
    of the incompetence, egoism and pathological greed of the Azerbaijani
    political 'elite'... Kocharyan, Oskanyan, Ghoukassyan and the like
    are encouraged by the impotence of the Azerbaijani authorities who
    just keep saying 'We will never put up with the loss of Karabakh!' -
    a phrase that has long set our teeth on edge," says Zerkalo daily.No
    war by Azerbaijan, to date, does not mean they fear that anybody
    will censure them, political scientist Hrazdan Madoyan says to
    PanARMENIAN.Net. On the one hand, if they in Baku were at least
    50 percent sure they would win, they would not look at the US or
    NATO. On the other hand, the selfsame US and NATO have put a rigid
    veto on war. This veto may imply the toughest possible sanctions -
    up to "division of the country and dethronement of Aliyev."
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