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WHY THE MINISTERS DID NOT MEET
By Armen Manvelian
AZG Armenian Daily #159
04/09/2007
Karabakh Process
Yesterday in Brussels the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri
Merzliakov and Bernard Fassier met with eth Foreign Minister of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedyarov. Naturally, nothing special could be
expected of this work meeting. It is quite simple that the extremely
complicated issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be settled
by a few meetings, especially when the American Co-Chair of the Minsk
Group Matthew Bryza and Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian
did not take part in them. In any case, if the absence of Bryza can
be explained by his honeymoon in Turkey, the motivations of Vardan
Oskanian's absence remain vague. It is well known that the Armenian
Foreign Minister is at present in Brussels, therefore arranging a
meeting of all the sides involved in the peace process on Karabakh
would not prove difficult. According to Yerevan officials, in July took
place a meeting of Vardan Oskanian with the OSCE Co-Chairs, without
the participation of Azerbaijani representatives, so the presence of
Oskanian on the yesterday meeting was by no means compulsory. This
is, of course, only an official statement, but let us mention
a tendency that the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
always negotiated over the recent years when meeting in frameworks
of various international events. This year the tendency was broken,
as a separate meeting of the two officials in Brussels has not been
arranged either. This fact makes us think of a serious regress in the
peace process of Karabakh, which also explains the warlike statements
by the authorities of Azerbaijan.
To be reminded, in August were held consultations of the Co-Chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, in which also took part the Deputy-Foreign
Minister of the Russian Federation Genady Karasin. All the participants
of the consultations predicted that after the elections in Armenia
and Azerbaijan passiveness will occur in the Karabakh process. The
latest events in Brussels proved that predictions true.
Moreover, according to certain sources, Vardan Oskanian will be running
as one of the probable candidates for the office of RA presidents on
the elections in 2008. Evidently, this may cause more passiveness in
the Karabakh process.
Naturally, in these circumstances, deliberations about the possible
solutions of the Karabakh conflict may be used against the main
candidate for the office of the President of Armenia, as an advocate
of decadent policy. Of course, Vardan Oskanian and his team, which
is already being forged, won't give this chance to their opponents.
On the other hands, we daresay that in Brussels another "window of
opportunities" was closed.
By Armen Manvelian
AZG Armenian Daily #159
04/09/2007
Karabakh Process
Yesterday in Brussels the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri
Merzliakov and Bernard Fassier met with eth Foreign Minister of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedyarov. Naturally, nothing special could be
expected of this work meeting. It is quite simple that the extremely
complicated issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be settled
by a few meetings, especially when the American Co-Chair of the Minsk
Group Matthew Bryza and Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian
did not take part in them. In any case, if the absence of Bryza can
be explained by his honeymoon in Turkey, the motivations of Vardan
Oskanian's absence remain vague. It is well known that the Armenian
Foreign Minister is at present in Brussels, therefore arranging a
meeting of all the sides involved in the peace process on Karabakh
would not prove difficult. According to Yerevan officials, in July took
place a meeting of Vardan Oskanian with the OSCE Co-Chairs, without
the participation of Azerbaijani representatives, so the presence of
Oskanian on the yesterday meeting was by no means compulsory. This
is, of course, only an official statement, but let us mention
a tendency that the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
always negotiated over the recent years when meeting in frameworks
of various international events. This year the tendency was broken,
as a separate meeting of the two officials in Brussels has not been
arranged either. This fact makes us think of a serious regress in the
peace process of Karabakh, which also explains the warlike statements
by the authorities of Azerbaijan.
To be reminded, in August were held consultations of the Co-Chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, in which also took part the Deputy-Foreign
Minister of the Russian Federation Genady Karasin. All the participants
of the consultations predicted that after the elections in Armenia
and Azerbaijan passiveness will occur in the Karabakh process. The
latest events in Brussels proved that predictions true.
Moreover, according to certain sources, Vardan Oskanian will be running
as one of the probable candidates for the office of RA presidents on
the elections in 2008. Evidently, this may cause more passiveness in
the Karabakh process.
Naturally, in these circumstances, deliberations about the possible
solutions of the Karabakh conflict may be used against the main
candidate for the office of the President of Armenia, as an advocate
of decadent policy. Of course, Vardan Oskanian and his team, which
is already being forged, won't give this chance to their opponents.
On the other hands, we daresay that in Brussels another "window of
opportunities" was closed.