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Levon Zurabyan: One of the purposes of the report is to understand the
current reality
02-06-2007 13:36:08 - KarabakhOpen
We have learned from the media that the International Crisis Group is
preparing a new report on Karabakh. The KarabakhOpen asked Levon
Zurabyan, Armenian analyst for ICG, to comment.
KO: Mr.Zurabyan, the media reported that the ICG is preparing a new
report on Karabakh. Do you know whether there will be new proposals
and what principles will underlie them?
About a year and a half has passed since the first two reports of the
ICG on Nagorno-Karabakh. Necessity occurred to analyze the political
developments regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh problem over the past
period. The new report is intended to study the Prague process, as
well as the new tendencies of the dynamics of the settlement of the
conflict. As usual, the ICG will put forward proposals intended to
promote the peace process and prevent undesirable tendencies which
may lead to aggravation.
KO: What is the methodology of the reports of the ICG and what role do
experts have?
The ICG reports are collaborations. A number of ICG experts are
involved in drafting reports, including those who constantly track the
developments at places, analyze the conflicts in the context of global
political processes. The ICG analysts working on the report study
significant media reports, meet with state, political and civil
society activists, representatives of NGOs of both the conflict
parties and the international community, experts. The ICG experts
draft the report relying on this work. The ICG leadership also works
on it, and the final draft of the report, which is the product of
teamwork, is released as an official document of the ICG.
KO: The chair of the NKR parliament's Committee on External Relations
Vahram Atanesyan says the Karabakh experts did not make observations
regarding the draft reports of the ICG. Is it true?
No, collaboration with experts representing the conflict sides is an
important part of the activities of the ICG, because it allows getting
acquainted with the arguments and stances of the sides. For this
purpose a working meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani experts was held
in Tbilisi in 2005. Experts from Nagorno-Karabakh participated as
well. The experts from Nagorno-Karabakh were not only active during
the meeting but also after the meeting, sending comments to the ICG by
email, I would say a record amount of comments on the draft project
which dwelled on the stances and arguments of the Karabakh side. It
is a correct approach for all the participants of the discussions,
providing the objectivity of reports of the ICG.
KO: One more question. Many related the principles underlying the ICG
reports to Sabine Freiser and the reality then. Now the director of
the ICG's Caucasian program has been replaced. Has the approach
towards the Karabakh problem changed connected with the change in the
political conjuncture?
I already said the ICG's reports are collaborative, based on thorough
discussions, editing and verification of information. Therefore, the
ICG's reports need not be personified. As to the change of the
political reality, it is by all means reflected in the approach of the
international community towards the resolution of one conflict or
another. One of the purposes of the report is to understand the
current reality regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
By the way, after the release of the ICG reports the NKR foreign
ministry released comments expressing its standpoint regarding the
proposals offered by the ICG.
current reality
02-06-2007 13:36:08 - KarabakhOpen
We have learned from the media that the International Crisis Group is
preparing a new report on Karabakh. The KarabakhOpen asked Levon
Zurabyan, Armenian analyst for ICG, to comment.
KO: Mr.Zurabyan, the media reported that the ICG is preparing a new
report on Karabakh. Do you know whether there will be new proposals
and what principles will underlie them?
About a year and a half has passed since the first two reports of the
ICG on Nagorno-Karabakh. Necessity occurred to analyze the political
developments regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh problem over the past
period. The new report is intended to study the Prague process, as
well as the new tendencies of the dynamics of the settlement of the
conflict. As usual, the ICG will put forward proposals intended to
promote the peace process and prevent undesirable tendencies which
may lead to aggravation.
KO: What is the methodology of the reports of the ICG and what role do
experts have?
The ICG reports are collaborations. A number of ICG experts are
involved in drafting reports, including those who constantly track the
developments at places, analyze the conflicts in the context of global
political processes. The ICG analysts working on the report study
significant media reports, meet with state, political and civil
society activists, representatives of NGOs of both the conflict
parties and the international community, experts. The ICG experts
draft the report relying on this work. The ICG leadership also works
on it, and the final draft of the report, which is the product of
teamwork, is released as an official document of the ICG.
KO: The chair of the NKR parliament's Committee on External Relations
Vahram Atanesyan says the Karabakh experts did not make observations
regarding the draft reports of the ICG. Is it true?
No, collaboration with experts representing the conflict sides is an
important part of the activities of the ICG, because it allows getting
acquainted with the arguments and stances of the sides. For this
purpose a working meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani experts was held
in Tbilisi in 2005. Experts from Nagorno-Karabakh participated as
well. The experts from Nagorno-Karabakh were not only active during
the meeting but also after the meeting, sending comments to the ICG by
email, I would say a record amount of comments on the draft project
which dwelled on the stances and arguments of the Karabakh side. It
is a correct approach for all the participants of the discussions,
providing the objectivity of reports of the ICG.
KO: One more question. Many related the principles underlying the ICG
reports to Sabine Freiser and the reality then. Now the director of
the ICG's Caucasian program has been replaced. Has the approach
towards the Karabakh problem changed connected with the change in the
political conjuncture?
I already said the ICG's reports are collaborative, based on thorough
discussions, editing and verification of information. Therefore, the
ICG's reports need not be personified. As to the change of the
political reality, it is by all means reflected in the approach of the
international community towards the resolution of one conflict or
another. One of the purposes of the report is to understand the
current reality regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
By the way, after the release of the ICG reports the NKR foreign
ministry released comments expressing its standpoint regarding the
proposals offered by the ICG.