31.01.2012

EU should appoint its representative to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [AZE]

The article says that appointing a special authorized representative from the European Union as an alternative to France is necessary to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Fuad Muradov, Azerbaijani MP and chairman of the committee in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly told Trend that EU representative was appointed in due time to resolve the problem with the Balkans and conflicts in the African countries too adding this issue must be included in the agenda of the Council of Europe, the EU, the OSCE, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and other platforms, that are interested in the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

News.az

01.02.2012

No alternative to peaceful settlement within framework of Minsk Group [ENG]

Philip Lefort says changing the format of the negotiations can’t be effective. EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Crisis in Georgia Philippe Lefort said in Yerevan that the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has no alternative within the OSCE Minsk Group. Philippe Lefort said this during his meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan as they discussed Armenia-EU relations and issues related to the development of the cooperation.

Trend.az

01.02.2012

U.S concerned over situation in Nagorno-Karabakh [AZE]

U.S. intelligence is concerned about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the possible emergence of new terror hot spots in Eurasia.  U.S. director of national intelligence James Clapper’s report, presented at the hearing in the Senate Committee of U.S. Congress, says that the unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus are the most possible causes of hot spots in Eurasia. According to the report the most volatile conflict in the Caucasus is Nagorno-Karabakh saying, “mistrust from both sides and continued violence in the contact line increases the risk of miscalculation that could lead to escalation of the situation without any warning”.

 EU Special Representative for South Caucasus discusses Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Yerevan [AZE]

The article says that EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Philippe Lefort had a visit to the region and held a meeting with Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan. According to the article, during the meeting two senior officials discussed the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and cooperation with EU especially in the sphere of military and defense. Two sides are reported during the meeting to point out the urgency of establishing trust between two conflicting communities.

Pakistani Senate recognizes Khojaly incident as genocide [ENG]

The article says that the Pakistani Senate has recognized the Khojaly massacre of 1992 as genocide. Speaking to Trend from Islamabad, Senator Haji Ghulam Ali, who initiated the resolution, said acts committed by Armenian armed forces in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly were unanimously recognized as genocide at a meeting of the Pakistani Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Speaker: Azerbaijan to seek legal means to remove France from OSCE Minsk Group [AZE]

The article says that France has lost both moral and legal right to the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. Azerbaijani Parliament speaker Oktay Asadov said at a meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament that Azerbaijan should determine the legal means of removing France from the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. Asadov also said that this Azerbaijani initiative will be a sign of protest against the French law criminalising the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” adopted by France.

Trend.az

03.02.2012

Essence and architecture of settlement process are clear – FM [ENG]

The article says that Nalbandian’s interview is nothing more but populism, which is aimed at empty propaganda that cannot be named. Commenting on the interview of the Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, in which he stated that the Azerbaijani side forms provocative atmosphere which hampers the settlement of the conflict Azerabaijani Foreign Ministry said that attempting once again to delude the Armenian and international community, Nalbandian is trying to look constructive. The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister think that Armenian leadership does nothing but slows down the negotiation process.

EU achieved little progress towards resolving Karabakh conflict [ENG]

The article says that EU has even less leverage in discussions over the future settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, report says. The European council on foreign relations issued European Foreign Policy Scorecard assessing the EU’s performance on the global stage across all 27 states. The report says despite relatively unity, the EU has achieved little progress towards resolving the Karabakh conflict so that tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh continue to rise and there remains the risk of an accidental war between them.

Trend.az

05.02.2012

Hillary Clinton: Nagorno-Karabakh should be peacefully settled [AZE]

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be solved peacefully. During the meeting with her Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandyan in the framework of the 48^th Munich conference Clinton said that US as OSCE Minsk Group co-chair will continue to provide its comprehensive assistance to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

News.az

06.02.2012

Nalbandian, Clinton discuss Karabakh [ENG]

The article says that Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian participated in the 48th council on security issues in Munich where he met US State Secretary Hilary Clinton. Top officials of both countries rated the high level of the cooperation between two countries and expressed their readiness to continue developing the relations. During the meeting with Clinton the developments of NK issue settlement process was discussed in details. Edward Nalbandian presented the results of the trilateral meeting between Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Sochi, on January 23 and Clinton reconfirmed once more US attitude to the issue settlement process and noted that the only way is negotiations.

Armenian soldier dies near contact line [ENG]

The article says that an Armenian soldier is reported to have been killed by gunfire on February 5 near the borderline between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

Marat Dimakasyan (20), a conscript in the army of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh republic, received a fatal gunshot wound in the Hadrut area. He lost his life en route to a military hospital. An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Trend.az

06.02.2012

Red Cross employees visit Azerbaijani POW in Nagorno-Karabakh [AZE]

The article says that employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Azerbaijani POW kept in Nagorno-Karabakh on Feb.2. No any detailed information is delivered in the article. The family of the Azerbaijani POW was informed about the meeting.  Junior sergeant of Azerbaijani Armed Forces Mammadbagir Akhundzade was captivated near the Yukhary Chayli village on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also confirmed the fact.

Trend.az

07.02.2012

Rally on Khojaly genocide to be held in İstanbul [AZE]

The article says that regarding the 20th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy a rally will be held at Taksim square in İstanbul. Talking to Trend, the International Diaspora Center said that a rally will be held on February 26 at 13:00 at Taksim Square, in front of the Galatasaray Lyceum and will last for two hours. The Azerbaijani and Turkish MPs, intellectuals, representatives of NGOs and well-known art workers will take part in the rally.

Azerbaijan doesn’t rule out other means to liberate occupied territories [AZE]

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said at his meeting with Turkish Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Necdet Ozel that if efforts of the OSCE Minsk group, aimed at settling the conflict, will not yield any concrete results Azerbaijan will have to liberate its occupied territories by other means. The minister said that’s why Azerbaijan is strengthening its Armed Forces.

News.az

08.02.2012

Baku restates commitment to regaining Karabakh [ENG]

The article says that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity either through talks or “other options”. Ali Hasanov, head of the socio-political department at the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said in Azerbaijan newspaper that Baku was determined to see the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. He blamed Armenia’s non-constructive position and the lack of serious pressure on Yerevan from the OSCE Minsk Group of mediators for the failure to resolve the conflict.

Trend.az

08.02.2012

Ambassador: EU wants to launch new ideas to promote quicker settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict [AZE]

The article says that European Union would like to launch new ideas in order to promote quicker settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Roland Kobia, head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan told journalists that EU supporta all objectives of the Minsk Group and would like also to launch new ideas in order to promote quicker settlement of the conflict. Kobia emphasized that for that trying to enhance people-to-people contact and to generate confidence between the parties is important.

Trend.az

09.02.2012

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry: Armenian minister lies [AZE]

The article says that Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian is lying when he talks about the ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said everybody in Azerbaijan and Armenia, and even in the Armenian Defense Ministry, knows that Ohanian is lying. Ohanian stated that Armenian units open fire only when the Azerbaijani side starts shooting, Armenian media outlets reported.

France not to change its position on prompt Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution [AZE]

The article says that France’s position on the prompt resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict will stay stable regardless of the French supreme Constitutional Council’s decision on “Armenian genocide” law. Andre Reichardt, First Vice-President of the Regional Council of Alsace (France), Senator of Bas-Rhin told in an interview with Trend during his visit to Azerbaijan that France supports return of refugees to their homeland, and this position is stable and will not change.

Trend.az

10.02.2012

Azerbaijan committed to resolve conflict with Armenia through negotiations [ENG]

Agshin Mehdiyev, Azerbaijani Permanent Representative in UN, says Baku remains committed to resolve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan through negotiations, despite the fact that mediation efforts over 20 years were not always consistent and have not yet produced any results. During his speech at a meeting of the UN Security Council Mehdiyev said that Baku takes into account that the formula for a settlement is on the basis of the on-going political process. It is based on the termination of the illegal occupation of our territories, restoring sovereignty and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, refugees can return home and ensuring a peaceful coexistence of Azerbaijanis and Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region within Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan urges EU and European Parliament to avoid “double standards” in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [AZE]

The article says that Azerbaijan urged the EU and the European Parliament to take a position based on the norms and principles of international law and to avoid “double standards” in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at a conference “EU-Azerbaijan: new horizons for the partnership” organized by the European People’s Party in Brussels that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister appreciated the resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict adopted in the European Parliament in 2010 that informed the international community about the conflict and the importance of the Armenian forces’ withdrawal from the Azerbaijani occupied territories.

OSCE would pursue ways to make progress towards lasting settlements – Chairman [ENG]

The article says that Eamon Gilmore, Ireland’s Foreign Minister and the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, told at UN Security Council meeting in New York that the two institutions share core principles and common values that can be applied to numerous security challenges. In his address to the Council, Gilmore outlined OSCE’s priorities for 2012 in which strengthening its conflict prevention capacities, fighting corruption, and stepping up efforts to tackle transnational threats appear as well. Referring to several long-running conflicts that persist in the OSCE area, Gilmore said the regional organization would pursue ways to make progress towards lasting settlements.

Chairperson-in-Office: Resolving protracted conflicts – priority for OSCE [AZE]

The article says that protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as making progress on resolving protracted conflicts are priorities of the 2012 Irish OSCE Chairmanship, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore told the US Helsinki Commission in Washington on Feb.9. Talking about the Irish experience in conflict resolution Gilmore said that the courage of leaders on both sides to negotiate and make compromises in the interest of peace is very important. He also underlined the international support especially the role of the US in a lasting peace in Ireland.

Trend.az

11.02.2012

Matthew Bryza: Sides of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict close to breakthrough [AZE]

The article says that Azerbaijan and Armenia are close to a breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza said in an interview with Turkish Hurriyet Daily newspaper that there is a huge progress (in negotiations), and the sides are extremely close to a breakthrough. He stressed the sides need to make a very difficult and risky political decision to agree upon the key details. Mr Bryza also noted such decision won’t be made until the sides feel they receive political support from the U.S. and France.

News.az

13.02.2012

Time to remove France as Karabakh mediator – Erdogan [ENG]

Turkish Prime Minister said France should be removed as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. According to Erdogan, Nicolas Sarkozy has openly shown his support for the Armenian position. Therefore, France should be removed from the Minsk Group now,” Erdogan said in an interview with Azerbaijan’s ANS TV. His comments follow the French Senate’s vote to criminalize the denial of genocide, including the denial of Armenian claims of genocide in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. He thought that USA and Russia could cope with the mediating role if France leaves the Minsk Group.

Military solution of Karabakh conflict impossible – mediator [ENG]

In the article OSCE Minsk Group French co-chair Bernard Fassier says that settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through military option is impossible.  The co-chairman said that in one of his speeches in Paris, he underlined that the war will not be easy even for Azerbaijan which is strong in all spheres.

News.az

14.02.2012

No winners in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [ENG]

The article says that OSCE Minsk Group is the only format to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, stated there can be no winners in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He noted that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and negotiations are the only way to progress.

Karabakh a likely flashpoint of confrontation in the South Caucasus – James Clapper [ARM]
According to this news item, Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper, said the unsettled conflicts in the Caucasus and the fragility of some Central Asian states are the most likely flashpoints in the Eurasia region. Clapper also said the Nagorno-Karabakh region is another potential flashpoint. “Heightened rhetoric, distrust on both sides and recurring violence along the Line of Contact increase the risk of miscalculations that could escalate the situation with little warning,” said the US intelligence officer.

01.02.2012
Lragir.am
Armenia will refuse Minsk Group [ARM]
This article says that Turkey and Azerbaijan succeeded in bringing the issue of France’s removal from the OSCE Minsk Group over the French Senates adoption of a bill that criminalizes the denial of genocides. It also says that Armenian officials oppose to such demands by Turkey and Azerbaijan, adding that neither US, nor Russia will allow the withdrawal of France from the Minsk Group, not to mention Turkey’s likely inclusion in that body. It also says that if this change does however take place, Armenia may say that it does not trust the new members of the OSCE Minsk Group and may refuse its mediating efforts over the Karabakh conflict.

01.02.2012
Hetq.am
Armenian defense minister and EU rep discuss Karabakh conflict [ARM]
This article says that Armenia’s Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and EU Envoy to South Caucasus Philippe Lefort discussed, among other things, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They both highlighted the importance of easing tension on the Line of Contact. They also mentioned the need for strengthening mutual trust. An impartial investigation of the ceasefire violations was mentioned as one such method.

01.02.2012
News.am
Azerbaijani MPs want France’s withdrawal from OSCE Minsk Group [ENG]
According to this article an Azerbaijani official said Baku should decide on what is the legal form of France’s withdrawal from the OSCE Minsk Group chairmanship. Oktay Asadov responded to MPs’ offer to withdraw France from mediation mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. The move was promoted by French Senate’s adoption of a bill that criminalizes the denial of genocides. “We should decide on the legal form of its removal. This issue does not depend on our wish,” said he.

01.02.2012
1in.am
Azerbaijan and Armenia cannot solve Karabakh conflict together [ARM]
According to this article Russian MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky said Armenia and Azerbaijan will not be able to resolve the conflict of Nagorno Karabakh because of Russia. For that to happen, according to him, Armenia and Azerbaijan should be included in Russia as Transcaucasian federal province. “If Azerbaijan and Armenia do not agree to that offer we will recognize Nagorno Karabakh much in the same way we recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” said he. Zhirinovsky also said that Russia will not recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

“Agreeing on Basic Principles may last decades.” Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry [ARM]
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson saidAzerbaijan seeks a resolution to the Karabakh conflict based on a legal version. Elman Abdullayev also said that Armenia is winning time to preserve the status quo, while Azerbaijan’s position is clear: an agreement on Basic Principles is a political method. He also said that the international practice has proved that it may last for decades.

Turkey expects more support from Muslim countries over NK [ARM]
This article says that Chairperson of Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, Cemil Cicek, said at a summit that Ankara expects more support from Muslim countries all over the world over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in order to resolve the conflict in Azerbaijan’s favor. He also highlighted the importance of exerting international pressure on Armenia over the Karabakh conflict.

02.02.2012
1in.am
Key to Karabakh settlement is in Russia’s hands – Mutalibov [ARM]
Former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov said the key to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict is in the hands of Russia. He also said that during his term in office the Azerbaijani opposition demanded that Russia be replaced by another international player. “But I have always said that the key to Karabakh conflict is at the hands of Russia,” said he, adding that it holds true up until today.

03.02.2012
News.am
EU achieved little progress towards resolving Karabakh conflict – report [ENG]
The article says that the European Council on foreign relations issued European Foreign Policy Scorecard assessing the EU’s performance on the global stage across all 27 states in which it said that despite relative unity, the EU has achieved little progress to resolve the Karabakh conflict. It also said that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh continue to increase and there remains a risk of an accidental war between them. Further, it said that in comparison to the conflicts in Transnistria or Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the EU has even less leverage in discussions over the future settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

04.02.2012
Tert.am
Nalbandian and Clinton discuss Karabakh conflict [ARM]
This article says that Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton met on the sidelines of the 48th Security Conference in Munich and discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Particularly, they spoke about the latest developments in the peace process, the role of the US as OSCE Minsk group co-chair, as well as about the results of the meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Sochi on January 23. Clinton reaffirmed US’ stance on the Karabakh conflict, adding that the Karabakh issue can be settled only peacefully. She also said that the US would continue to make efforts for the resolution of the conflict.

05.02.2012
Tert.am
How do Azerbaijani bloggers perceive Armenians? [ENG]
This article says that International Alert, a London based NGO working on conflict resolution, examined a range of sources, from history textbooks, to the media and blogosphere, as well as speeches made by politicians to understand better the dynamics behind the conflicts in the South Caucasus. One of the researcher looked at the Azerbaijani blogosphere and found out that the tone used to talk about Armenians in the online media expressed even more hatred than in traditional media. Referring to the Azerbaijani blogosphere, the researcher said it has become more popular in Azerbaijan only in the last two-three years despite its decade-old history.

07.02.2012
Tert.am
Mammadyarov speaks about changing the status quo [ARM]
This article says that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at a meeting with Philippe Lefort, the EU special envoy on South Caucasus, that the settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the number one issue on the agenda of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. He also said that the biggest hindrance to the resolution of the conflict is the fact that “the Azerbaijani territories are under occupation”. Mammadyarov also spoke about the need for changing the status quo, adding that the first significant step in that sense would the pullout of the Armenian troops from those territories.

08.02.2012
EU has new ideas on Karabakh settlement – diplomat [ENG]
According to this news article, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Roland Kobia, said the European Union wants to propose new ideas to promote a quicker settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “We, of course, support all objectives of the Minsk Group and we would like also to launch new ideas in order to promote quicker settlement of the conflict,” he said. Kobia further said the ideas are still being tested with the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia, adding that they will be disclosed in the near future.

08.02.2012
Panorama.am
Some forces in Azerbaijan could help us to achieve our goals. Andreas Ghukasyan [ENG]
According to this news item, Andreas Ghukasyan, Advisor to Congress of Refugees from Azerbaijan, said that the processes in the negotiations over the resolution of Karabakh conflict don’t offer real opportunities to resolve the issue of Armenian refugees. Further, he said that the issue of refugees is included in the negotiations, but its format was meant to resolve the conflict where the status of Nagorno-Karabakh was pivotal. Asked if it is possible to launch dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani societies, Ghukasyan said it is possible, if “Azerbaijani people are deprived of administrative xenophobia”.“There are some forces in Azerbaijan that could help us to achieve our goals,” said he.

08.02.2012
1in.am
Aliyev and Lefort discuss Karabakh conflict [ARM]

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at a meeting with Philippe Lefort, the EU Special Envoy to the South Caucasus. No other details were reported about the meeting. Further, the article reminds its readers, that Lefort had earlier welcomed the trilateral meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Sochi where they met to approximate the positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Karabakh conflict. He had also said that the EU considers the Sochi meeting as the next step towards peace.

09.02.2012
Tert.am
France’s stance on NK conflict will not change, says French Senator [ARM]
According to this article a group of French Senators visited Azerbaijan and responded to questions related to France’s credibility as an OSCE Minsk Group member. A French Senator Janny Lorjois expressed hope during a visit to Azerbaijan that France will continue to be impartial in its activities as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country.  Andre Rekhar, another Senator also said that France’s stance on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will not change.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry responds Seyran Ohanyan’s statement [ARM]
This article says that the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan responded to a statement by Armenia’s Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan who had said that the Armenian troops respond only to one out of ten cases of the ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani troops. An Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesperson said that the Armenian defense minister is simply “telling a lie”. “It is highly likely that Seyran Ohanyan himself does not believe to his own words,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

09.02.2012
North Ireland model can also be applied to Nagorno Karabakh [ARM]
Irish Foreign Minister Imon Gilmore said the model of the Northern Ireland can be applied to the frozen conflicts, including those under the auspices of the OSCE. Gilmore particularly said that the model of the Northern Ireland can be applied to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The article also recalls that Gilmore had said earlier that without the political will of conflicting parties, a settlement to the Karabakh conflict would be impossible.

10.02.2012
Tert.am
Mammadyarov calls on EU and CoE to avoid double standards over Karabakh conflict [ARM]
According to this article, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov called on European Union and Council of Europe at a summit in Brussels to refrain from using double standards when it comes to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Mammadyarov, particularly said they should make decisions over Karabakh based on the norms of the international law and stress the unacceptability of using double standards.

10.02.2012
1in.am
Mammadyarov discussed Karabakh issue in Brussels [ARM]
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at a summit in Brussels that in order to register in Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks “Armenia should first of all withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani territories.” “We accept that the status of Karabakh should also be settled, but before that, it is necessary that the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities return to their lost settlements,” said Mammadyarov, adding that it is impossible to resolve the issue in line with European standards without taking into account the opinion of the Azerbaijanis who lived there.

10.02.2012
RFEL
OSCE chairperson welcomes Minsk Group efforts [ARM]
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Eamon Gilmore said during a speech in New York that he will try to resolve protracted conflicts during his time in office, including the Transdnestrian, Abkhazian, South-Ossetian and the Karabakh conflicts. Speaking about the Karabakh conflict in particular, he hailed the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts made so far. He also said that the OSCE expects close cooperation with Minsk Group co-chairs and other members of the Minks Group.

11.02.2012
Parties are close to a breakthrough – Mathew Bryza [ARM]
Former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair Mathew Bryza said the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are now close to a breakthrough. He also said that, however, there are some details that can be agreed on, if the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents make tough and dangerous political decisions. “But they will not do it until they feel that they have the serious political support of US and France,” said he, adding that in order for a breakthrough to take place it is necessary that all the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries be equally involved in the peace process over Karabakh.

13.02.2012
1in.am
No military solution to Karabakh conflict: Bernard Fassier [ARM]
According to this news article, former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair Bernard Fassier said there is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He recalled his statement in Paris where he had said that a new war will not at all be easy for Azerbaijan. Fassier also said that no one can say which of the sides will gain victory in a new war. In any case, it will have grave consequences both for the winner and for the loser, he added.

13.02.2012
Tert.am
Sarkozy openly backs Armenians over Karabakh conflict – Erdogan [ARM]
According to this article, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said French President Nikolas Sarkozy openly supports Armenians over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  Erdogan also said that France should be removed from the OSCE Minsk Group as it cannot be an impartial mediator. The Turkish PM also said that Azerbaijan and Turkey should stand together in every issue.

14.02.2012
No winners in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – NATO rep [ENG]
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said there can be no winners in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He noted that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. James Appathurai further said the NATO members are unanimous in their perspective on the conflict- there cannot be winners in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and that all the sides will suffer political, military and economic losses in case of escalation of the conflict.

14.02.2012
1ina.am
NATO won’t interfere in Karabakh conflict settlement [ARM]
According to this article, NATO Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai said the alliance will not interfere in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also said he is aware of the efforts made by the OSCE Minsk Group, as well as of the statements of the Azerbaijani side to change that format. James Appathurai also added, there is no alternative to negotiations in the settlement of the conflict.

Efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group will also be put off for a year or more. Put aside Azerbaijan’s mistrust for French mediation after adopting the legislation criminalizing genocide denial — there is a kind of vicious tradition: the international community does not push for a solution when there are elections approaching in either Armenia or Azerbaijan. The coming May 2012 parliamentary elections and February 2013 presidential elections in Armenia should not break that tradition, especially considering this year’s unique situation: during the year, there will be presidential elections in Russia, then in France, and later, in the U.S. In France and the U.S. the internal political and economic situation should dominate the agenda. And, as international affairs are concerned, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue may be left in a “no news is good news” condition, since there are hotter issues — the Iranian nuclear problem, for example, not to mention the ongoing crisis in Syria, possible radicalization in Egypt, and so forth.

The Armenian government seemingly does not plan to make concessions. If the government wanted that, it should have attempted to prepare public opinion. That would not be a difficult task for a government fully controlling broadcast media. However, there is no campaign aimed at forming a favorable public opinion. Quite the contrary — “patriotic” propaganda has been gaining more popularity. And President Sargsyan himself stated several times, particularly in an address on September 2, 2010, that a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be possible only through international recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The absence of an intention to reach a solution notwithstanding, the Karabakh issue will dominate Armenia’s internal political agenda during the prolonged election campaign. A twenty-year-old tradition will induce the opposition to blame the government for an intention to “sell” Karabakh. At the same time, the leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress, Levon Ter-Petrossian, is himself a traditional target of nationalist propaganda. The latter the latter claims, “in Baku and Ankara, they can’t wait for Ter-Petrossian to return to power.” As the parliamentary elections are predictably going to result in reproduction of the ruling regime, the general trend will remain there. The public will be continuously fed with the government’s version — that the current situation is beneficial for the Armenians and the Karabakh issue, as such, has been solved. Yet, despite all propaganda, people need to make a living. So, taken the economic situation and the diminishing hopes for seeing any change, the number of emigrants continues to grow. That tendency is further aggravated, as the opposition, despite all rhetoric, seems less and less capable of replacing the government.

Concerning Azerbaijan’s approach to the negotiations, it is obvious that a zero-sum way of thinking prevails there as well. It is not realistic to claim all possible concessions from the Armenian side without any meaningful reciprocal move. The ever-growing military spending, about which Azerbaijani officials love to boast, accompanied with threats to solve the issue by force, do not make the Armenian government afraid and more willing to compromise. On the contrary, Serzh Sargsyan’s standing is reinforced, as the threats from Azerbaijan induce the Armenian opposition to keep a relatively low profile and abstain from more radical actions. Most importantly, Azerbaijan is not likely to commence military action in the near future, despite all military posing. Endangering oil exports is not a feasible option given the galvanized situation around the Strait of Hormuz.

Since none of the conflicting sides shows a will to compromise and find a mutually agreeable solution, the current situation will be kept, and the outcome so far is lose/lose. More precisely, the common people are on the losing side, while the ruling clans keep flourishing. As civil society structures in both Armenia and Azerbaijan are underdeveloped, and most of the existing ones are cautious not to break away from the “patriotic” mainstream, bringing change would be a hard task.

For about two decades researchers, politicians, diplomats, and policy makers have been attempting to identify a formula that would achieve a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan. Because political leaders in both Yerevan and Baku put little or no effort into contributing to a useful solution, none of the formulas proves to be effective enough to bring long-awaited peace and stability.

As a result of increasing disappointment in national governments and international organizations that have failed to bring any feasible results, attention is slowly turning to the youth of both countries.  In the past, few steps have been taken to engage youth activists in the negotiation process. But now, with a growing access to social media tools, youth in the two countries have more opportunities to reach out to each other. However, they have yet to overcome a major obstacle — a lack of democracy.

This paper is an attempt to analyze and draw connections between three peace building tools — conflict resolution programs, social media, and civil society, where youth is identified as a driving force (a connecting line between the dots), democracy as an essential environment (a political background), and peace as an ultimate goal (see Image 1). Based on interviews with young men and women from Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as the analyses of materials and data available on the Internet, the paper identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the existing tools.

Image 1

The role of youth

Although there are no concrete or up-to-date figures available, rough estimations indicate that the youth make up about 29 percent (900,000 people aged 18-30) of Armenian and 31 percent (2,800,000 people aged 18-29) of Azerbaijani populations. Considering these figures, the youth in both countries can be used as a driving force in conflict resolution and peace building processes. Yet Armenian and Azerbaijani youth are politically underrepresented, poorly educated, and economically vulnerable. This makes them an easy target for propagandistic and nationalistic ideology that fuels mutual hatred and the enemy image, where young people can be used in escalating violence should military operations resume anytime soon.

Gurban Karimbayli, an Azerbaijani youth worker with five years of experience in conflict resolution and cross-national programs, considers that the majority of young people in Armenia and Azerbaijan have an intense desire to peacefully solve the conflict. But, unfortunately, wrong policies enforced by the governments and lack of field specialists in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution create barriers for that.

This opinion has been argued by Rashadat Akhundov, an Azerbaijani youth activist advocating for democracy and human rights, who expresses somewhat pessimistic concerns. According to him, if one considers the current political situation in Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is unlikely that young people can bring any substantial changes or contribute in any way to conflict resolution. To achieve any changes, the youth should be empowered and the political situation should change.

Sona Dilanyan, a blogger and youth activist from Armenia who currently studies in the United States, brings a more balanced and ambivalent attitude. She thinks that on the one hand the younger generation is not a direct victim of the conflict in contrast to the older generation that has personally experienced the war consequences, while on the other hand the younger generation is largely affected by the state propaganda and negative stereotypes. So, her general insight is that the term “youth” has been generalized, as in both countries there are young people with radically different opinions ranging from violent nationalists to those inclining towards a peaceful dialogue.

The role of social media

Recently there were a growing number of articles, blog posts, and academic papers discussing the role of social media and networks in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution. As more young people in Armenia and Azerbaijan adapt to social media websites, e.g. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Blogger, more opportunities become available to bypass traditional media that promotes government propaganda on both sides. While the old media is still very popular in the two countries, especially among the adult generation, with the emergence of social media the governments can no longer prevent the spread of ideas that oppose government policies.  This eventually leads to the increase of people-to-people contacts on a virtual level between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

Veronika Aghajanyan, an Armenian blogger and peace advocate, believes that social media gives everyone a chance to start the peace building process from the grassroots level. She provides two examples — Caucasus Edition and Neutral Zone — that initially sounded like utopian ideas, but with a strong commitment and contributions from Armenians and Azerbaijanis, the websites gained significant traffic for its kind.

Onnik Krikorian, a Yerevan-based photojournalist and the Caucasus editor for Global Voices Online, provides a different view: “There are just too few [users] as a whole, and in many cases we all know each other and represent a very small and insignificant element within both societies. It is a start and is welcomed, but in the scheme of things it is not much at all.”

Social media and networks are also battlefields between peace advocates opposed to those supporting the war rhetoric. Currently, both Armenian and Azerbaijani governments take advantage of social media as well. Through a circle of both authentic and fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and its Russian alternatives, they promote a type of content that supports the established opinion of political elites about the conflict. Unfortunately, today this content has a wider audience and attracts more interest than the one featuring peace.

Moreover, political regimes recognize the threats imposed by the increasing popularization of social media and, thus, closely monitor all political activities online. This is especially true for Azerbaijan, where representation and advocacy activities carried out by bloggers and youth activists ended up with a series of persecutions based on trumped-up charges and sham trials. Any activism on social networks in Armenia and Azerbaijan that contradicts with traditional political ideology and views is a challenging and risky business that makes enemies with one’s own government.

While social media is not a panacea for such a painful problem like the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it should be critically perceived and used only as a tool to accomplish more ambitious and challenging goals within the conflict resolution and peace building processes. Nevertheless, the potential benefits of social media in conflict resolution are tremendous, especially considering informational and communication barriers between the two countries.

The role of conflict resolution and dialogue programs

The number of conflict resolution and dialogue programs experienced an increase in past years. This happened mainly because of the fact that the United States and the European Union realized the importance of stability in the South Caucasus that would otherwise jeopardize geopolitical and energy security. It was due to these programs that the information and communication control mechanisms used by Armenian and Azerbaijani governments to maintain the status quo were eventually overcome.

Paruyr Hovhannisyan, a senior counselor at the European Friends of Armenia, a Brussels-based NGO dealing with a large spectrum of the EU-Armenia and EU-South Caucasus issues, shares his admiration of these programs. He specifically talks about European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict (EPNK), a consortium of five organizations funded by the European Union that work together towards conflict resolution and peace building between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “They do an amazing job starting from filmmaking for peace to conflict resolution trainings and political dialogue programs improving women’s participation in the negotiation process.”

Lala Jumayeva, an Azerbaijani blogger and doctoral researcher in international politics at Birmingham University, expresses the same enthusiasm about dialogue programs. She and her friends participated in workshops held by the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, an organization that is dedicated to positively transforming relations and laying foundations for lasting and sustainable peace in conflict-torn societies. Among many advantages, she mentions the opportunity to meet the opposite side, discuss important issues not only related to the conflict but also to the region at large, share mutual ideas, and work together on follow-up projects once the program is over. At the end she also speaks about problems and weaknesses that these programs have. “Some participants do not follow up on their initiatives and projects after they return home. Also over a period of time we lose contacts.”

This is how Sona Dilanyan reflects on her experience with dialogue programs: “The communication between two sides becomes possible only when they are willing to hear something that completely contradicts their point of view. The most important that I have learned is that […] understanding someone’s point of view does not necessarily mean agreeing with him/her. I would call this the number one principle for creating a possibility of cross-border dialogue. While addressing the disadvantages, I would say it is very difficult to go against the mainstream stereotypes of the society and have connections in Azerbaijan. For instance, my colleagues and I are often labeled as traitors.”

Although the positive and productive role of these programs is certain, significant concerns about raising the effectiveness of the current and potential initiatives exist.  Based on the feedback collection from all interviewees the following recommendations can be made:

1. Conducting a more careful selection of participants for conflict resolution and dialogue programs, i.e., recruiting more responsible, committed, and flexible individuals with proven leadership records;
2. Creating a sense of fellowship among participants that will last beyond the period of workshops, seminars, and trainings;
3. Assuming responsibility for follow-up projects in exchange for participation in the programs;
4. Providing participants with a set of skills that will allow them to avoid, combat, and overcome natural fears of persecution by the aggressive and nationalistic segments of their societies and government institutions; and
5. Encouraging and promoting better and stronger publicity of the existing programs and initiatives not only in English and Russian, but also in Armenian and Azerbaijani languages.

The role of civil society

Civil society composed of various NGOs and civic initiatives plays a major role in bringing democratic changes in Armenia and Azerbaijan. As identified by the interviewees, a strong civil society must challenge the government to take the right, transparent, and timely actions. Otherwise, it will be hard to imagine that young men and women in both countries will actively engage in conflict resolution and peace building activities.

Having a truly independent civil society is an essential element of peace, without which it can merely succeed or survive in the long run. Even if the two governments sign a peace agreement, eventually in the absence of a civil society and lack of trust for political elites, the conflicting sides may again engage in violent actions against each other. Civil society development in both Armenia and Azerbaijan is a fundamental prerequisite for any peace between the two.  Civil society is another tool that allows the youth to challenge political regimes in Baku and Yerevan to take effective steps towards peaceful resolution of the conflict.

In the current state of affairs, however, civil society both in Armenia and Azerbaijan experiences problems mainly due to the fact that the approach of the authorities towards the concept of civic activism is very corrupt, antagonistic, and politicized. As a result, every new attempt to strengthen civil society and its elements is echoed by democracy setbacks. These include new laws restricting and limiting the activities of CSOs, crackdowns on youth organizations and international NGOs, and compromising black PR campaigns in traditional media outlets.

Within the realms of Armenian and Azerbaijani politics, civic activism as an integral part of civil society does not provide a complete cure to the problem. Like social media and dialogue programs, it is just another tool that works best in combination with the first two.

Hopefully, if the peace building ideas inspired by various conflict resolution and dialogue programs eventually prevail over war rhetoric on social media, these trends can be reflected in various civic activism forms like boycotts, protests, political flashmobs, and other types of disobedience, forcing the two governments to come to a peaceful agreement.

But again, the role of civil society should be neither exaggerated nor underestimated by conflict mediators and peace advocates. Despite the optimistic vision, in reality, during nearly two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, civil society has not achieved any substantial results in forcing political regimes towards democratic changes and peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The destructive role of the political regimes in building their defense walls against a truly independent and democratic civil society should not be disregarded. Exactly as it happened with social media, where the governments acquired this tool to serve their own benefit and counterstrike on any dissent initiatives, today both Armenian and Azerbaijani governments develop their own loyal CSOs that take over the scene of civic activism.

Gurban Karimbayli also shares concerns about the challenges that civil society faces in Azerbaijan. He cites the 2010 national budget allocations for civil society development in Azerbaijan in the amount of nearly $3,800,000, which stands for 0.03 percent of the $14,640,000,000 budget. In Hungary, where the national budget totals $63,660,000,000, allocations for civil society amount to 1.01 percent ($700,000,000).

An Armenian source who asked to remain anonymous looks at the problem from a different angle. According to her, while there are many CSOs in Armenia, their effectiveness is limited and popularity is low. “The reason behind this trend is simple: it is a cultural thing. Historically, the parental role of political and religious leaders in the region disabled people from feeling responsible for their own lives and nations. Subconsciously, we choose and hold our governments to be responsible for the decision-making process, whether we talk about democratization or peace in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The role of democracy and a way forward

Surprisingly, regardless of nationality and political preferences, all interviewees agreed that peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot and will not be achieved without democratic changes in Armenia and Azerbaijan. And even if the peace agreement gets signed by political leaders, the fate and endurance of such a peace are highly fragile, questionable, and dubious.

Rashadat Akhundov brings a very interesting point: “Can we imagine any stable peace in Nagorno-Karabakh if tomorrow prospective elections or referendums can be tampered or altered by corrupted politicians? The violence will resume again.”

Indeed, only in a truly democratic environment can the formula for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict be fully enforced in practice. In this case all three tools — conflict resolution and dialogue programs, social media, and civil society — will stand at the disposal of young men and women from Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the political atmosphere where Azerbaijani and Armenian citizens are afraid of and distrust their own governments, it is hard to imagine any Armenian peacefully living and engaging with Azerbaijani authorities. Likewise, it is impossible for any Azerbaijani to go back and interact with the Armenian government.

In early November 2011, Facebook users from Armenia and Azerbaijan were asked a question: “What is the most effective solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?” Table 1 demonstrates that both societies are divided between peace and war. While Facebook is not the perfect and appropriate tool to conduct a survey, it allows for spotting young men and women who support the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Table 1

Moreover, 6.19 percent of respondents expressed the belief that a regional integration, i.e., establishment of a political union in the South Caucasus, can solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. An analysis of their profiles, in terms of education, professional, and political backgrounds, gives the interesting image of a young person aged 18-30, educated in the West, active in civil society, speaking good English in addition to other foreign languages, having one or more friends in the opposed country, being adept in social media, and opposed to his/her government.

This small group has the right vision for the future of their countries. They should be further empowered and motivated as they possess qualities that permit them to exemplify the true values of peace and democracy. The youth must be a driving force for positive change and not a tool in the hands of corrupted regimes.

The last two decades proved that the political leaders in government and those in classical opposition (formerly running Armenia and Azerbaijan in early 1990s) do not have the political will and desire to solve the conflict. The whole concept of peaceful negotiations was abused so much that it is unlikely that people will trust any “constructive” solutions offered by the two regimes.

Furthermore, in a challenging political environment characterized by corruption, growing militarization, and lack of democracy, there are serious concerns that a ceasefire between the two might eventually turn into another armed conflict with far more devastating consequences than the first war of 1988-1994.

Tert.am

Commentary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs [ENG]

According to this article, presidential administration of Nagorno Karabakh said in a statement that Azerbaijan has opposed to proposals to enlarge the budget of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO) to ensure sufficient resources to investigate potential incidents on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. “This confirms once again that Azerbaijan is not interested in the investigation of incidents on the Contact-Line, since it will be eventually established that it is the Azerbaijani party that periodically exercises provocations, thereby deepening the hostility and distrust of the parties towards each other and driving the negotiation process to a deadlock,” read the statement.

16.01.2011

Panorama.am

Nalbandian confirms news on Presidents’ meeting [ENG]

This news article says that Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian confirmed the news on Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’ meeting, but has restrained from naming any place and date. Nalbandian noted at a press conference that more information will be available soon. Asked whether the format of the coming meeting will be similar to previous one, he said similar format meetings will continue.

16.01.2011

Epress.am

Invite China, Iran, Turkey and Germany to mediate Karabakh conflict? [ENG]

Russian analyst Vitaly Zhuravlov said the OSCE Minsk Group set up for the mediation of the Nagarno-Karabakh conflict is the mechanism that reflects realpolitik. He said it is hard to imagine a change in the format of negotiations: “How can the current format be changed? Invite China, Iran, Turkey, Germany as a mediator? What is the position of the US and France? Ignore them?” said he, adding that in that case those countries would exert political pressure on Baku with all its consequences.

16.01.2011

1in.am

Bakos Sahakyan meets with Andrzej Kasprzyk [ARM]

This article says that the de facto President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan met with Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. They discussed the situation on the Line of Contact in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as the latest development in the peace process over the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The main topic of Karabakh talks must be its resolution not prevention of war – Aliyev [ARM]

According to this article, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan will not allow for the talks over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict discussed within the prevention-of-another-war framework. Instead, they must be aimed at resolving the conflict. “If anyone thinks that the theme of the talks should be the prevention of the resumption of war, then I do not share that opinion,” said Aliyev. He also said that no one would start a fresh war, especially Azerbaijan.

16.01.2011

News.am

Azerbaijan hampers arrangement to investigate incidents on the frontline – Armenian MFA [ARM]

According to this news item, Armenian Foreign Miniser Edward Nalbandian said that Azerbaijan hampers attempts to finalize the investigation arrangements regarding incidents across the line of contact. Recalling that the arrangement was reached during the last year meeting of presidents in Sochi, Nalbandian said the arrangement was supported by the international community. However, Azerbaijan is hampering its implementation and creation of investigation mechanisms, rejecting all the proposals of the mediators, he added.

16.01.2011

Tert.am

Azerbaijan amassing arms for possible Karabakh war, Aliyev says [ENG]

According to this article, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his country is storing up on  modern weaponry to be able to regain control of the Nagorno- Karabakh region quickly and with few losses should peace talks with neighboring Armenia fail. “It’s not a frozen conflict, and it’s not going to be one,” Aliyev was quoted by Bloomberg. He also said Azerbaijan’s defense spending will grow by 1.8 percent this year to $3.47 billion, which tops Armenia’s entire state budget.

Azerbaijan’s military potential fuels Armenia’s anxiety – Aliyev [ENG]

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his country’s growing military potential fuels Armenia’s anxiety. Speaking at a cabinet meeting he slammed Armenia for what he called a “non-constructive approach to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, that led to a failure to achieve progress in the peace settlement talks”. “Azerbaijan is increasing its military potential. Our military expenses grew from $3.413 bn in 2010 to $3.474bn in 2011. Our army is now capable of doing a lot. We have the most powerful army in the region,” the president was quoted saying.

16.01.2011

RFEL

Sochi meeting new impetus to Karabakh settlement [ARM]

Washington-based analyst Alexander Markedonov said there should not be serious expectations from the planned meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents to be held in Sochi over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The utmost goal the sides can achieve with that meeting is the prevention of a fresh war. However, he said the Sochi meeting can provide a new impetus to the peace talks which according to the analyst, is in a standstill for the eighth month now after the meeting in Kazan.

16.01.2011

1in.am

There can be a change on the Line of Contact – expert [ARM]

Armenian analyst Manvel Sargsyan said it is possible that ahead of the meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Sochi there may be some progress in preventing the ceasefire violations on the Line of Contact. “This is a specific issue, and it would be better, if the parties could reach a consensus over it. The leaders of the three countries can reach an agreement in preventing borderline incidents,” said he. Sargsyan also said that the aim of the Sochi meeting is to demonstrate that Moscow has not lost its interest in the Karabakh confnlict.

18.01.2011

Tert.am

Sargsyan, Medvedev and Aliyev to hold a farewell meeting in Sochi [ARM]

Russian political analyst Alexander Sotnichenko said no breakthrough is expected in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Sochi. Though the meetings over the conflict will continue, they will not yield significant results. He also said that the OSCE Minsk Group is making useless efforts, adding, that another international body needs to be involved in order to ensure success in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

18.01.2011

Epress.am

Karabakh authorities hope UK decision will positively impact Azerbaijan [ENG]

According to this article the de facto Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh welcomed Great Britain’s readiness to hold a referendum on the future status of Scotland. London’s position proves once again that respect for human rights and nations’ rights for self-determination is the priority for democratic states, said the ministry. “Freedom and respect for these rights are, actually, the highest values in the modern world. We are convinced that any attempts to hamper the realization of fundamental human rights must be considered regardless of the political conjuncture and must be subject to resolute and strict assessment by the international community,” read the statement.

 18.01.2011

1in.am

Putin never showed interest in Karabakh conflict [ARM]

According to this news item US analyst Alex Jackson, speaking of the Sochi meeting of the Armenian, Azeraijani and Russian presidents, said he is sceptical of any serious result in the talks over the Nagorno-Karabakhk conflict. He also said that given Armenia is holding parliamentary elections in May no one in the country will like to take such steps which can provoke widespread negative reaction. Secondly, he said Dmitry Medevev is completing his term in office and will be replaced by Vladimir Putin who has never shown interest in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

18.01.2011

News.am

Karabakh conflict not to settle through ultimatum but compromise – Russian MP [ENG]

According to this news article, Russian MP Kostantin Kosachev said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is possible not through ultimatum but compromise. “Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the serious ones in post-Soviet area. Meanwhile, each state has its strong arguments for its own benefit,” he said. According to him, there are a few states enjoying trust of all conflicting sides, Russia is among them. There are states, which hold either pro-Armenian or pro-Azerbaijani position. Russia’s position is always to achieve a compromise which would satisfy all the conflicting sides, he addded.

20.01.2012

Tert.am

Armenia is the only party to blame for failure in Karabakh talks – Mammadov [ARM]

According to this article, Novruz Mammadov, Head of the Foreign Relations Department at the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, said the Armenian side is the only party responsible for the thwarted Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. The reason, he claimed, is that official Yerevan is not ready for resolving the conflict. Speaking of the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meeting to be held in Sochi, Russia, Jan. 23, Mammadov said that much depends on that meeting.

20.01.2012

Panorama.am

E. Sharmazanov: Peaceful resolution even if imposed [ENG]

Eduard Sharmaznov, Deputy Chairman of Armenia’s National Assembly, referring to a statement made by Azerbaijani side accusing Armenia of failing the talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh, said, “Azerbaijan has adopted a state policy to blame other countries for their failed and unsuccessful activities”. He also said that if Mammadov “carefully read the Deauville statement, he would see particularly which party delays the process or makes destructive statements”. “That piece of document clearly highlights that nations should be prepared for peace, and not war; Azerbaijan’s senior officials have repeatedly approved their “commitment” to the statement,” Sharmazanov said.

23.01.2012
Tert.am
Russia calls for reinforcing trust over Karabakh peace deal [ENG]

This article says that ahead of the Medvedev-Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting in the Russian resort town of Sochi, the Kremlin issued an official statement calling upon Armenia and Azerbaijan to strengthen trust over the Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement talks. ”Russia is consistently talking the sides into strengthening confidence-building measures. The joint statement adopted by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Sochi on March 5, 2011 is a measure towards achieving that,” read the statement issued by the Kremlin. Further it said that the agreement reflects the goal to resolve all disputable issues in a peaceful manner and investigate the incidents on the Contact Line between the armed forces under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Azerbaijan, Armenia admit need for rejecting maximalist positions [ENG]

According to this article, the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, admitted at a meeting in Sochi the need for “rejecting maximalist positions and exerting further efforts to bring the conflicting parties’ positions closer to each other”. “The sides came to terms on the need for, as the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents said, rejecting maximalist positions with Dmitri Medvedev’s assistance,” Russian FM Sergey Lavrov told journalists. He also said that the participants “expressed their willingness to speed up their work at the principles and pass on to legally binding peace agreement on their basis.”

Armenian, Azeri leaders ready to agree on fundamental principles [ENG]

This article says the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents, Serzh Sargsyan, Ilham Aliyev and Dmitri Medvedev held their 10th meeting in Sochi, Russia, and adopted a statement on the meeting results. In their statement they pointed that due to the intensive negotiations, they reached progress in agreeing on the principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Considering the importance of passing on to drafting a peace agreement, the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents expressed their willingness to speed up the process in the context of the work done. The Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders also expressed their appreciation for the mediation by Russia, France and the US.

23.01.2012
Lragir.am

Has Aliyev agreed to status quo? [ARM]

This article says the statement adopted by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Sochi was a regular one, though it does have a provision worth mentioning. It seems, the article claims, that in the statement, peace and stability in the region are not related to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. This according to the author suggests that the mediators themselves have come to the conclusion that peace and stability are not related to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict which means this format of the statement Azerbaijan has accepted the present status quo.

24.01.2012
Tert.am
Azerbaijan can no longer threaten war – analyst [ENG]

According to this news article, Armenian political analyst Sergey Minasyan said the key outcome of the Medvedev-Aliyev-Sargsyan trilateral meeting in Sochi was the success in forcing Azerbaijan into maintaining the current negotiation format over Nagorno-Karabakh. ”The real context refers to the problem of war. That’s to say, the threat of war will no longer serve as a resource for Azerbaijan,” said Minasyan. He noted that though the meeting marked the final stage of the negotiation cycle initiated by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the country will not cease to be an active player in the process in future. ”The format will be maintained in some way,” he added.

Sochi meeting did not produce progress in NK settlement – ICG [ARM]

According to this news article, Lawrence Sheets, Caucasus Project Director at the International Crisis Group, said the meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Sochi did not produce significant results in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. “Any meeting of the presidents is itself positive, but the text of the statement testifies to the fact that no significant progress was regiestered for the achievement of comprehensive agreement,” said Sheets. He also said that tension over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict stirs a lot of concern.

24.01.2012
Epress.am
Sochi statement good, but not the turning point Armenia was expecting: opinion [ENG]
Eduard Sharmazanov, Deputy Chairperson of Armenia’s National Assembly said the statement issued by the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi on Jan. 23 corresponds to the position of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, since they are in support only of peaceful settlement. “This statement is important also for the reason that it confirmed resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is possible only through mediation of the Minsk Group,” said he.

24.01.2012
Panorama.am

OSCE Minsk Group the only format for Karabakh talks – Narek Galstyan [ENG]
Armenian political analyst Narek Galstyan said the tripartite meeting in Sochi once again proved that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format for Karabakh talks. According to him, the Sochi meeting revealed that Russia has strengthened its role in settlement of the conflict. “Russia remains as the main guarantor of peace and the agreements reached between the sides. From this point of view, I think it is important that the joint statement contains a provision on prevention and investigation of border incidents and ceasefire violations,” said Galstyan.

24.01.2012
1in.am
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ approaches are outdated – Masis Mailyan [ARM]

Masis Mailyan, President of the Foreign Policy and Public Security Council of Nagorno Karbakh said that the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Sochi was a positive step, but not much should be expected from that meeting. He also said that the statement adopted in Sochi proves that the Madrid Principles are still on the table of negotiations. Further, he said that the approches of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are not outdated, adding that recent international precedents should be applied to the Karabakh conflict.

25.01.2012

Lragir.am

Is Moscow pulling Tukey into the Karabakh conflict? [ARM]

This article says Turkish and Russian foreign ministers made a joint statement in which they mentioned their expectations from the OSCE Minsk Group, the inacceptability of the status quo in Karabakh, as well as the need for a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict. But the most interesting part of this meeting and the statement is what role Turkey plays in the peace talks over Karabakh. Turkey is the only supporter of Azerbaijan in Karabakh issue, nothing more. Besides Turkey is not a mediator, and nor is it a co-chairing state in the OSCE Minsk Group, explains the article.

25.01.2012

Epress.am

Kick France out of Karabakh conflict: don’t be more Catholic than the Pope: Azerbaijan MPs [ENG]

The law criminalizing genocide denial adopted by the French Senate puts an end to Paris’ mediation in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said chair of the unified Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP) Gudrat Hasanguliyev. In his opinion, Baku has to make an immediate decision to remove France as one of the co-chair countries in the OSCE Minsk Group. The MP also pointed out that adoption of this law will impact relations between not only France and Turkey but also France and Azerbaijan.

25.01.2012

News.am

Armenian expert does not think decision of French Senate to affect Karabakh settlement conflict [ENG]

France’s decision on the bill criminalizing denial of genocide will not have any significant impact on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, said Armenian political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan. The expert mentioned, “the not so friendly relations between Armenia and Turkey is nothing new”. Talking about the meeting of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Sochi on Monday he said that it was already the 10th meeting in that format, adding that no progress was expected during the meeting and was not achieved altogether. At the same time Iskandaryan stressed that Azerbaijan behaved sharply on the adoption of the bill criminalizing genocide denials by making statements on issues that do not concern Baku at all.

26.01.2012

Sochi meeting failed to secure progress in Karabakh talks – Russia Profile [ENG]

This article by Russia Profile says that for the tenth time during his presidency Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict bu once again failed to secure a breakthrough in negotiations. It also says that as Russia turns inward to focus on recent political protests and Medvedev plans a speedy exit from the limelight, there is still no end in sight to what he called possibly the only conflict in the post-Soviet space that can be settled today.

28.02.2012

News.am

France’s Minsk Group co-chairmanship must be discussed – Turkish FM [ENG]

According to this article, speaking about the French Senate’s passing of the bill that criminalizes the denial of genocides, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that France’s participation as a co-chairing country in the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with the Karabakh issue, needs to be questioned. Davutoglu said Turkey understands Russia’s and Unites States’ roles in the Karabakh issue, but they do not understand France’s role. “The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict’s consequences have impacted two countries: Russia and Turkey. [French President Nicolas] Sarkozy stayed in Armenia for two days, whereas for two hours, in Azerbaijan. It is impossible to conduct a normal mediation under such conditions. Either Turkey too must be among the co-chairs, or France should leave,” Turkish FM said.

30.01.2012

1in.am

Moscow has used the Karabakh conflict since the Czarist era – Legno Storto [ARM]

An article published in the Italian newspaper Legno Storto mentioned that Europe should pay attention to Russia’s ambitions in the former Soviet Union area which will be intensified in the coming years. It also said that the Karabakh is one of the numerous ethnic conflicts that Moscow has been using since the Czarist era to retain its power in the region.

Turkey’s inclusion in OSCE is absolutely logical [ENG]

According to this news article, Bahar Muradova, Deputy Chairperson of Azerbaijan’s parliament, said that Turkey’s inclusion in the OSCE Minsk Group is absolutely logical. She also said that France should be expelled from the OSCE Minsk Group. Speaking about Turkey’s inclusion in OSCE MG, she said that Turkey has a right to have its own position over the Karabakh conflict, adding that the Karabakh conflict should be resolved within OSCE MG format.

30.01.2012

News.am

PACE moves to more rational policy suspending work of Karabakh subcommittee – MP [ENG]

MP of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Artak Zakaryan, said International organizations fully understand that the mediator mission on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict has been assigned to OSCE Minsk Group. Any interference in the procedure might lead to undesirable results. “International organizations have their responsibilities and all organizations including NATO, UN understand that powers to mediate in the Karabakh process have been given to OSCE MG and the co-chairing countries. The effectiveness of their work is proven by the fact that during the last 18 years no military actions occurred in the region despite Azerbaijan’s provocations,” Zakaryan said.

Last version for Karabakh settlement has 14 points – Armenia’s Foreign Minister [ENG]

According to this news article, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said during televised interview that the most recent version of the settlement paper on Karabakh (introduced by the OSCE MG) includes 14 points. In his words, the Deauville statement had called for an agreement on this version, and the reason why no agreement was reached is obvious. “Because the Azerbaijani party, as it was in Sochi in March 2011 when it had brought forth more than a dozen changes and new proposals at the last second, did the same in Kazan, in June,” Nalbandian noted.

In Sochi, it was announced that Minsk Group worked effectively – Armenian FM [ENG]

This news item says that Edward Nalbandian, foreign minister of Armenia, said that although Azerbaijan is stating that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are, in fact, unsuccessful. According to him, the statement adopted as a result of the meeting in Sochi notes that the co-chairs have worked effectively. “The meeting in Sochi was important and productive, and this was reflected with that statement. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed hope that the three co-chairs would continue their efforts with the same format,” Nalbandian said.

If Turkey wishes to help Karabakh process, it should stay away – Armenia’s Foreign Minister [ENG]

Armenia’s Foreign Minsiter Edward Nalbandian said that if Turkey truly wishes to help the Karabakh peace process, it should stay as far away from that process as possible. “I do not think it is Turkey which decides the issue of formats. I should note that Azerbaijan’s president, together with Armenia’s president, said in Sochi [Russia] that the presidents expressed hope for France, Russia, and the United States continuing their mediation as [Minsk Group] Co-Chairs,” said Nalbandian.

31.01.2012

Tert.am

It’s up to MG to strip France off mandate – Kobia [ENG]

According to this news article, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan Roland Kobia said the OSCE Minsk Group is the only competent body to recall France as a mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal. Kobia made the statement in response to calls and proposals by Azerbaijani officials to suspend France’s membership in the Minsk Group. Kobia said the EU has no authority to intervene in the decision that was adopted on a national level.

31.01.2012

Lragir.am

What if France recognizes Karabakh? [ARM]

This article says that French Senators have collected signatures to appeal a decision by the Senate to criminalize the denial of genocides in France. The article claims that the French Senators have come with the move under Turkish pressure. It also says that Turkey is attempting to use the Karabakh factor in this issue and has already questioned France’s credibility as OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country. The article also claims that Masis Mailyan, head of the public council on security and foreign politics of Nagorno Karabakh, said that France may withdraw from the OSCE Minsk Group but may at the same time take some steps to recognize Nagorno Karabakh.

16.01.2012

Armenian FM confirms information about Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian presidents’ meeting [AZE]

The article says that Armenian Foreign Minister confirmed information about the upcoming trilateral meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia. Armenian Minister Edward Nalbandian made this statement at a press conference on Jan.16 saying that the venue and the date of the meeting will be announced in due time. Commenting on the meeting, Nalbandian expressed his confidence in continuation of trilateral contacts.

OSCE to monitor contact line between Armenian, Azerbaijani armies [AZE]

According to this article monitoring will be held on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in the north-west of Kurapatkino village in the Khojavand region on Jan.17. The monitoring will be held under a mandate of the OSCE chairman and on the opposite side, which the international community recognizes as Azerbaijani territory.

News.az

16.01.2012

Best option in the resolution of Karabakh offered by OSCE Minsk Group [ENG]

The article says the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does not have to depend on the Armenian-Turkish process. Positively approaching the Armenian-Turkish protocols, Sabine Freizer, Europe Program Director at the International Crisis Group, considers Azerbaijan one of the most important obstacles for the Armenian-Turkish rapproachment. As a result the expert thinks the talks between Turkey and Armenia failed, because Azerbaijan influenced the Turkish government. However, Freizer thinks the argument that Armenia-Turkey settlement will solve the Karabakh problem is not so hopeful.  For now the best option in the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh is the one offered by the OSCE Minsk Group, as it envisages granting interim status and security guarantee to Karabakh.

Azerbaijani, Armenian presidents’ meeting to go ahead [ENG]

The article says Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev is to mediate a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. The Armenian foreign minister confirmed the meeting although he did not give a date or place for the meeting. Considering the trilateral format for the meetings effective Edward Nalbandian is sure for the continuation of the meetings in this format.

Armenian minister ‘ignorant or fibbing’, says Baku [ENG]

According to this article Azerbaijan dismissed accusations by Armenia on hampering creation of a mechanism to investigate violations of the cease-fire. Commenting on remarks by Edward Nalbandian that Baku ignores agreements reached during the negotiating process on a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian is either ignorant of the documents or simply decided to fibb. He added that the biggest problem is the occupation of the Azerbaijani territory by Armenia and it is Armenia that occupies our lands and kills Azerbaijani civilians, even children. The spokesman expressed regret that Yerevan is not constructive on resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Trend.az

17.01.2012

Russian, Armenian foreign ministers discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [AZE]

Foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Edvard Nalbandian of Armenia held a working meeting in Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry’s press service reports that during the meeting they discussed a number of bilateral issues and preparations for a forthcoming Sochi meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

News.az

17.01.2012

OSCE monitoring records no incidents on contact line [ENG]

Under the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, monitoring of the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in north-west of Kuropatkino village of Azerbaijan’s Khojavend region has been conducted and no incident occurred during the monitoring.

Trend.az

18.01.2012

Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian presidents’ trilateral meeting scheduled [AZE]

A trilateral meeting between Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian presidents was scheduled for Jan.23 in Sochi. The Russian president’s official website reported that the meeting will be tenth in succession, organized under the auspices of Russian president since 2008. Last meeting of three presidents was held in Kazan on June 24, 2011, which ended with no substantial agreement on basic principles.

Azerbaijan to support referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh only under one condition [AZE]

Azerbaijan’s support to a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh could be possible only under one condition- Azerbaijanis of Karabkah return to their homes. The statement was made by Bayram Safarov, the chairman of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh public association. Safarov also noted that the people like Sahakian create obstacles for meetings between Armenian and Azerbaijani communities.

MP says Azerbaijan’s development is substantial support in resolving Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [ENG]

Azerbaijan’s development is the substantial support in solving all its problems, including resolving the most important problem – the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Referring to President Ilham Aiyev’s statement MP Aydin Mirzazadeh told Trend that Armenian troops should withdraw from Azerbaijan’s occupied lands. Mirzazadeh also added that as long as Armenia continues to pursue an annexationist policy, it is going to face serious problems.

News.az

18.01.2012

Armenians violate ceasefire [ENG]

The article says that Armenia Armed Forces violated ceasefire in the frontline near Gizilhajili village of Azerbaijan’s Gazakh region from their posts near Berkaber village of Armenia’s Ijevan region. The fire was silenced.

Russia to continue efforts on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict – Sergey Lavrov [ENG]

Russia highly appreciates its relations with Azerbaijan. Having a briefing on the outcomes of 2011, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia will continue its mediating mission on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

News.az

19.01.2012

Airport in Khankandi to be put into operation in mid 2012 [ENG]

Foreign specialists are conducting trainings for future employees of Stepanakert(Khankandi) airport. According to the article, head of the Civil Aviation Administration at the separatist ‘NKR’ government Dmitri Adbashyan told that one of the groups of foreign specialists helps Karabakh specialists to introduce the P3D multi-position system and the other group conducts trainings for installation of meteo -equipment of forth generation imported from Finland. He also said that the work is already finished and the airport will be working starting from mid 2012.

Trend.az

20.01.2012

Top official: Armenia not ready to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully [AZE]

Novruz Mammadov, Head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, spoke of Armenia’s position in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Mammadov considers Armenia unprepared for resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully and through negotiations, and it is the main reason for non-resolution of the conflict. According to Mammadov, the results of the presidents’ meeting scheduled for Jan. 23 in Sochi will show the next round of steps in the resolution of this conflict.

Trend.az

22.01.2012

Russia calls on Azerbaijan, Armenia to build confidence [ENG]

The article says that Russia has been consistently convincing the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of need to strengthen confidence-building measures. So that the joint statement adopted by the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Sochi on March 5, 2011 is aimed at this objective. During the meeting the presidents came together stating to resolve all disputes by peaceful means and to investigate possible incidents along the cease-fire line under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.The statement says the sides are concerned by the violations of the cease-fire and Moscow hopes for the investigations of the incidents.

News.az

23.01.2012

Azerbaijani, Russian presidents discuss Karabakh, cooperation [ENG]

Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev ahead of the trilateral meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. According to the article, during the meeting President Medvedev noted the importance of the upcoming trilateral meeting and acknowledged “major problems” in the Karabakh peace process. Moreover President Medvedev noted that the dialogue between the conflicting parties is useful and he hopes for the continuing efforts.

Presidents report ‘progress’ in Karabakh talks [ENG]

Noting the statement reached during the trilateral meeting between the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, the article touches upon the positive tone of the meeting. The three presidents stated that Sochi meeting was a progress in reaching agreement on the Basic Principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. In the joint statement there is a call for confidence- building measures between the communities of the two countries. Commenting on the meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the sides created “mutual understanding for further progress”. He said the three presidents had discussed “the full range of issues which remain unresolved in the draft Basic Principles of a Nagorno-Karabakh resolution”.

Baku, Yerevan acknowledge need to avoid ‘extreme positions’ [ENG]

The article says that Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents have recognized the need to pull back from extreme positions, so that both presidents asked Russia to mediate in the establishment of humanitarian ties between the two countries. Responding to journalists after talks between Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, mediated by Dmitriy Medvedev, in Sochi Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister said Russia had agreed to mediate in the establishment of public contacts between the countries.

European assembly president calls for ‘common sense’ from Armenia, Azerbaijan [ENG]

Jean-Claude Mignon, the new president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to show more “common sense” in the Parliamentary Assembly, where Azerbaijan supported the revival of the Karabakh subcommittee and Armenia refused to attend its meetings. Openly expressing his thoughts about the sub-committee and its functions, Jean-Claude Mignon said he always doubted that the committee will achieve any serious results adding that the solution of the conflict is possible within the OSCE Minsk Group and that the work of the Minsk Group deserves praise.

Trend.az

23.01.2012

Expert: OSCE MG co-chair countries try to control Karabakh process instead of resolving conflict [ENG]

The article says that there is almost no chance of progress on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution this year. Thomas de Waal, expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says “Neither side seems prepared to change its position on the draft agreement that was rejected in Kazan last June”.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry: International community should force Armenia to work on peace agreement [AZE]

Baku hopes the international community will force Yerevan to start work on a final peace agreement to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s report for 2011 says, Azerbaijan hopes that the international community will show more determination and consistency that will lead to a lasting peace and security in the region.

News.az

24.01.2012

‘Karabakh problem should be settled through exclusively peaceful means’ [ENG]

The article includes the comments of Armenian Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Eduard Sharmazanov. Commenting on the statement by the three Presidents in Sochi Sharmazanov considers the statement logical to peace talks and in accord with the position of the Armenian sides. According to him, the statement says that there is only a peaceful solution to the problem, and the Azerbaijani President expressed readiness for it. He says that by this statement Azerbaijani President contradicts his latest statement that the problem has two solutions – either peace or military solution.

Conflict parties bear main weight in Karabakh conflict settlement – UK minister [ENG]

Azerbaijani MP Ganira Pashayeva asked the UK Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs David about the UK assessment of the OSCE Minsk Group. In response, Lidington said that the main responsibility of the conflict settlement is on the conflicting sides adding, “we are not co-chairing OSCE Minsk Group. I don’t think that the UK can be involved directly in the activity of the Minsk Group’s co-chairs.”

PACE rejects Armenian delegation’s appeal [ENG]

The article says that Head of Armenian delegation to PACE David Harutyunyan appealed to the new chairman of the organization Jean-Claude Mignon asking to dissolve the PACE subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh. However, PACE Bureau rejected the appeal and considered that subcommittee should continue to operate.

News.az

25.01.2012

Azerbaijani army soldier taken captive [ENG]

According to this article Azerbaijani soldier was caught by Armenian Armed Forces while trying to cross the contact line between separatist Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The soldier is reported to have a uniform of Azerbaijani Armed Forces and had a military ID with the name of Akhundzade Mamedbagir Talib-oglu, born in 1990. The father of the soldier was quoted saying that his son disliked Armenians and wished for the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the Armenian occupation (Azerbaijani POW’s father talks about son’s capture ENG)

France ‘cannot be’ Karabakh mediator any more – MP [ENG]

News.Az interviewed Aydin Mirzazade, an MP for the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and deputy chair of the Milli Majlis committee for defence and security. Commenting on France passing a new bill on genocide and its linkage to Azerbaijan and settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani MP said France ought to be removed from the OSCE Minsk Group. First, it will help the reduction of the countries involved in the solution of the conflict. Second, “now that France has taken a biased stance on regional issues, it cannot be a mediator in the Karabakh settlement” said MP. According to Mirzazade Azerbaijan’s refusal of French mediation in this conflict is possible, and currently this decision is one of the issues debated in Azerbaijan.

Trend.az

26.01.2012

Nikolas Bratza: European court to give legal assessment of Azerbaijani displaced persons’ suit against Armenia [AZE]

According to the article, European Court Grand Chamber made its judgment in early January and declared the application of Azerbaijani citizens titled of “Chiragov and Others v. Armenia”, which is in fact against Armenia, admissible. Commenting on this issue, the president of the European Court did not talk about when the final decision will be made, adding that this issue is  political and sensitive, as well as difficult one. However, Mr. Bratza said it would be possible to give a legal assessment to this case.

27.01.2012

PACE Bureau discusses activity of subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh [AZE]

The article says that the issue related to the activity of the subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed at a meeting of the Bureau within the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon said in an exclusive interview with Trend that the activity of the subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh will not be restored soon. He told that the time is needed to consider this issue thoroughly. However, Mignon said that the option of restoring the activity of the subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh is possible.

News.az

28.01.2012

Either Turkey is among co-chairs, or France must be removed – Davutoglu [ENG]

In the light of recent events in France, Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu questions the chairmanship of France in OSCE Minsk Group. Clarifying the issue, Turkish Foreign Minister stressed the need to discuss the chairmanship of Turkey in the OSCE Minsk Group saying that “If there are two nations in any way affected by the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts, these are Turkey and Russia. Turkey is not in this process, while France is in it”. “Either Turkey is among the co-chairs, since we are affected by the conflict, or France must be removed” stated Davutoglu in his final remarks.

News.az

30.01.2012

Turkey to raise France’s Karabakh mediation at OSCE [ENG]

The article says that Turkey is going to raise the question of France’s position in the OSCE Minsk Group. According to the Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, Hulusi Kilic, France is in fact not a mediator, but supporter of the parties to the Karabakh conflict.

Trend.az

31.01.2012

International pressure on Armenia essential to end occupation of Azerbaijani lands – Turkish Parliament Speaker [AZE]

During his visit to Indonesia, Turkey’s Speaker of Grand National Assembly Cemil Cicek, said increasing international pressure on Yerevan is necessary to stop the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas and let Azerbaijani refugees return safely to their homes. “20 percent of Azerbaijani territories are occupied by Armenia, one million of our Azerbaijani brothers are expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas” said Cicek, pointing that Yerevan needs to be pressed by international community in order to liberate Azerbaijani territories.

Khojaly genocide recognized on international level [AZE]

The Session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (PUIC) held in Palembang (Indonesia) ended. Following the completion of the session, the conference called upon the Member Parliaments to initiate starting from 2012 a proper recognition of the massacre of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces in the town of Khojaly on 26 February 1992. PUIC demands bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Khojaly massacre. The position of the PUIC was reflected also in the Final Declaration of the Conference.

News.az

31.01.2012

Azerbaijan strives to move on to legally sound conflict solution [ENG]

The article claims that current Armenian leadership is delaying the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Commenting on the statement by the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, that “time should not be wasted for negotiations on the coordination of main principles”, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said, “the agreement about the basic principles is a political solution method, which, as world experience shows, can take years or even decades.”

30.12.2011

Interview- Top official: Azerbaijan to make every effort to eliminate double standards in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement [ENG]

In an interview with Trend, Ali Hasanov, chief of the Social and Political Department at the Azerbaijan’s Presidential Administration said the main reason for the present day deadlock of the conflict is the indifference of the international community to Armenia’s destructive position.

News.az

Azerbaijani parliament appeals to French Senate over genocide bill [ENG]

The article informs of the appeal by the Azerbaijani parliament to the French Senate to exercise caution in its discussions of a bill on criminalizing the denial of genocide. The appeal mainly calls for taking a cautious approach to a distant historical event.

Radio Liberty

In 2011 ceasefire was violated 774 times [AZE]

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry informs of Armenian armed forces’ violation of ceasefire 774 times during the last year. It is reported that as a result 19 citizens were shot dead and 24 were wounded. 15 of those killed were soldiers, 4 were civilians- 2 were kids. Out of the wounded 19 were soldiers, 5 were civilians. The most violated time period was reported during September, March and May. According to the reports, Fizuli was the region for violations.

Radio Liberty

04.01.2012

Sarkisian had a visit to Nagorno-Karabakh [AZE]

President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian visited a military post located in the occupied Azerbaijani land of Khojavend in Karabakh on January 3. The President also attended the opening of the sports complex, and visited wood-processing fabric in Askeran region. The article says Armenian president frequently visits Nagorno-Karabakh, following the military training over there.

News.az

05.01.2012

Karabakh conflict hardly changed in 15 years – US adviser [ENG]

Michael Och, a policy adviser at the US Congress’ Helsinki Commission, considers the conflicts in the South Caucasus have threatened the stability and security of the entire region. He says despite the efforts of the Minsk Group….the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict looks little different than 15 years ago. The analyst mentions contradictions between two Helsinki principles of territorial integrity and self-determination saying that neither the negotiators nor the international community have been able to bridge the gap.

Trend.az

Azerbaijani MP calls for sanctions against Armenia [ENG]

The article says that Azerbaijani MP calls international organizations, the ones, which disagree with military solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, to impose sanctions against Armenia. Zahid Oruj, a member of the Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, told Trend that the predicted war in the region could jeopardize the transnational projects, so that organizations should support the sanctions against Armenia. MP also told that perceiving the impossibility of war in Nagorno-Karabakh as strengthening of Armenian positions on these territories does not coincide with the realities of 2012.

News.az

06.01.2012

‘France will show activity in settlement of Karabakh conflict’ [ENG]

The article looks at the evaluation of 2011 within the framework of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the article Armenian MP, secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party parliamentary group Aram Safaryan considers Russia’s role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict more significant than the other co-chairs saying Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev did try to make some moves in finding a resolution for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Mentioning the failure of the Kazan meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, MP Safaryan continues to forecast France’s activity in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict in 2012.

Regional blocs to keep focus on frozen conflicts [ENG]

According to this article, GUAM Parliamentary Assembly and the assemblies of three other regional blocs are to hold an international conference in Baku, to discuss frozen conflicts. Elton Mammadov, the head of the board of the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly, says GUAM maintains its focus on unresolved conflicts, adding, that a separate document adopted by the Baltic Assembly on the settlement of the conflicts in the Caucasus states the commitment of its signatories to resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in line with international norms and principles.

Trend.az

Political resources reach stalemate with Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [ENG]

The article says political resources were exhausted with efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The director of the Centre for Political Innovation and Technologies, political analyst Mubariz Ahmadoglu said the meeting of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents in Kazan did not offer any significant results and there was no agreement signed afterwards and this is a sign. Moreover, he thinks that the collapse of the OSCE Minsk Group’s mediation began and the status quo must be immediately changed.

News.az

07.01.2012

‘Turkey will be near Azerbaijan in case of war in Karabakh’ [ENG]

The article says the military option might be applied if the Karabakh issue is not solved in a peaceful way. In the article Turkish MP from Istanbul Ali Ozgunduz says Turkey will be near Azerbaijan if the war is unleashed in Karabakh adding that the Karabakh issue cannot be deferred for too long and it will find its settlement sooner or later. As long as the conflict is protracted, many other problems can occur in the region.

‘Turkish youth should act jointly in Karabakh issue’ [ENG]

Youth of the Turkish world should strengthen propagation of the Karabakh issue. Ahmet Saglam, head of the ‘Turkish World Youth Group’, says the Armenian diaspora and its propaganda on ‘Armenian genocide’ should be used as an appropriate example, so that we, the youth of the Turkish world must make our best to make Europe recognize tragedies happened in Karabakh and Khojaly.

News.az

09.01.2012

New TV station launched in Karabakh region [ENG]

The article informs of a new station built by “Teleradio” Production Association put into full commission to provide high quality TV transmission in Agdam, Barda and Tartar region, as well as the north region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The new TV station is part of the restoration plan of the Azerbaijani communication in the land- to- be liberated from occupation.

Trend.az

10.01.2012

European Court declares Azerbaijani IDPs application admissible [AZE]

The article says that the case of “Chiragov and Others v. Armenia” was declared admissible by the European Court of Human Rights. The Court will deliver its judgment at a later date. The case concerns the applicants’ complaint that they were forced to flee from their homes in 1992 during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, in particular they lost their properties in Lachin.

Official: European Court must recognize violation of Azerbaijani citizens’ rights by Armenia [ENG]

The article says European Court of Human Rights must make a decision that the Republic of Armenia is responsible for the violation of Azerbaijan’s Lachin region residents’ rights, Chingiz Asgarov, head of the Department for Human Rights Protection Issues in the Department for Coordination of Law Enforcement Agencies at the Presidential Administration said. He reported that the Supreme Chamber of the European Court decisions as valid, as the decision considers the Nagorno-Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan and the Armenian armed forces as occupier of the Azerbaijani territory.

News.az

10.01.2012

Baku criticizes OSCE Karabakh mediators [ENG]

The article reports on recent accusation made by Azerbaijani official against the OSCE Minsk Group for taking a “laissez-faire attitude” to resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said during a meeting with Ilkka Kanerva, head of the Finnish delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly that the OSCE Minsk Group failed to find a peaceful resolution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Karabakh, and the produced no results. Moreover, Khalafov accused Armenia of continuing disrespecting the norms of international law and of taking a non-constructive stance during negotiations.

News.az

11.01.2012

Finnish MPs visits frontline area [ENG]

According to the article, Members of Finland’s delegation to OSCE Parliamentary Assembly visited Agdam region and familiarized themselves with the living conditions of Azerbaijani families who had to leave their homes. Kanerva said the purpose of their visit was to witness everything saying “We felt the situation was painful here. And the whole world should know the details of situation here”. Kanerva underlined the urgency of the peaceful solution to the conflict.

Trend.az

Group of Azerbaijani journalists sue Armenia in European Court [AZE]

The article says a group of Azerbaijani journalists, who have been displaced due to Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories, will sue Armenia in the European Court of Human Rights. The journalists based their argument on the occupation of Karabakh regions outside the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous republic. The main clauses for the court appeal are based on the violation of their rights to property, residence, education, and more. The journalists also claim that they had suffered material and moral damage.

Azerbaijani ruling party: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be resolved peacefully [AZE]

The article says the opportunity of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully still remains. In the article, deputy chairman, executive secretary of the “New Azerbaijan” party Ali Ahmadov asks Armenia to end its non-constructive position during these talks and make a decision on the settlement of the conflict, so that both the Azerbaijani and Armenian society wait for this decision.

News.az

12.01.2012

OSCE’s Irish chair keen to work with Karabakh mediators [ENG]

The article says the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore addressed the OSCE Permanent Council and presented Ireland’s priorities for 2012. According to the article one of the priorities is seeking ways in which progress can be made towards lasting settlements of a number of conflicts in the OSCE area. Among these there is Nagorno-Karabakh too on which the continuing work of the OSCE’s Minsk Group is expected.  Mentioning the devastating cost of the conflict and Irish experience, he thinks that achievement of a lasting settlement is possible.

Trend.az

Regional conflicts remain new OSCE Chairmanship priorities [AZE]

According to the article, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland’s priorities for 2012 maintains a balanced approach in addressing the politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions of security, OSCE official website reported. A further priority for Ireland will be to seek ways to make progress towards lasting settlements of protracted conflicts in the OSCE area. Deputy Prime Minister Gilmore welcomed the resumption of the official 5+2 talks in the Transdniestrian settlement process, and offered his full support for the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to address the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Iranian parliament speaker: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved within territorial integrity principle [ENG]

Referring to IRNA report, the article says the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved within the principle of territorial integrity and compliance with international legal norms. Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani talked about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in an interview with Anadolu before his visit to Turkey, saying that Turkey and Iran are Muslim and friendly countries and their job is to solve regional problems.

U.S. to further assist Azerbaijan and Armenia to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [AZE]

The article says U.S. will continue its high-level involvement through the Minsk Group to help Azerbaijan and Armenia find a peaceful and long-term solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon at the Körber Foundation in Berlin, speaking about transatlantic cooperation on Jan.11.

News.az

13.01.2012

Sargsyan tries his utmost ‘to break’ dialogue between Azerbaijanis and Armenians [ENG]

News.Az interviews Professor Farhad Badalbayli, national artist of USSR, member of Public Union “Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan”. He thinks that although the Armenian community of Karabakh refused to meet with the Azerbaijani community at the end of the last year, Azerbaijani side insists on holding the meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Karabakh. Badalbayli says that such meeting is expected to be held in February-March in Russia and then in the US. He also underlines the importance of joint coexistence of these communities saying that sooner or later the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia should end and the communities should find a way for cohabitation.

]]> http://caucasusedition.net/news-digest/digest-of-azerbaijani-media-for-january-1-14/feed/ 0 http://caucasusedition.net/news-digest/digest-of-armenian-media-for-january-1-14/ http://caucasusedition.net/news-digest/digest-of-armenian-media-for-january-1-14/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:01:34 +0000 News Digest http://caucasusedition.net/?p=1994 03.01.2012

News.am

2012 must become a year of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s recognition – ARFD [ENG]

According to this article, Hrayr Karapetyan from the Armenian Revolutinoary Federation party said that 2012 must become a year of the recognition of the de facto Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and for that to happen Armenia must what he called “tear a way through the wall”.

“Foreign states and international agencies should realize that Nagorno Karabakh Republic can never become part of Azerbaijan. There is a generation brought up in independence, without Azerbaijan. This generation realizes their future has nothing in common with Azerbaijan,” he said.

2011 brought no considerable breakthrough in Karabakh peace process – expert [ENG]

According to this news article, Armenian political analyst Yervand Bozoyan said that the year 2011 brought no considerable breakthrough in the Karabakh peace process. He also said that the the Karabakh issue is rather complicated and difficult to solve. “I am not among political scientists who are expecting speediest changes from year to year,” he said. Further, he said the most concerning issues, the expert believes, are speculations over changes in status quo.

“OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs repeatedly called to changes in status quo. However, in the context of tensed situation in the line of contact, such statements are provoking anxiety,” he noted.

04.01.2012

1in.am

2012 will have low dynamics in terms of Karabakh settlement – L. Alaverdyan [ARM]

According to this article, MP of the opposition Armenian party Heritage Larisa Alaverdyan said that given the upcoming parliamentary elections the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement will somehow fade into oblivion. “Whether we want or not the international community will take into account the fact of elections and in all circumstances it will not like to seek solution to the conflict in instability,” she explained. The MP also said she expects Karabakh to be more involved in the settlement process.

No need to have any expectations in Karabakh settlement in 2012 – Sefilian [ARM]

According to this article, initiator of Sardarapat movement Zhirayr Sefilian said nothing should be expected in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the year of 2012. “Simply, Artsakh [Karabakh], being at the strategic centre, may appear at the centre of attention of the international community because of the situation around Iran,” he explained.

05.01.2012

In 2012 France will show activity in settlement of Karabakh conflict: Armenian MP [ENG]

Armenian MP from the Prosperous Armenia party Aram Safaryan said 2011 was unprecedented for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and in 2012 France will be more active in its mediating efforts. Safaryan also said that in 2011 Russia showed unprecedented activity in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group on Karabakh settlement and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, tried to make some moves in finding a resolution to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict not to settle in 2012 – ruling MP [ENG]

MP from the Republican Party of Armenia, Lernik Aleksanyan said that in 2011 the situation was very tense in the contact line with a threat of escalation. According to him, it will, however, hardly change in 2012- the settlement of the Karabakh conflict won’t take place this year. “I exclude the war, however I do not see perspectives of soon settlement” Aleksanyan said.

05.01.2012

1in.am

Territorial intergrity and nationa’s right to self-determination contradict each other [ARM]

According to this article, Michael Oke, a political advisor at the Helsinki Association at the US Congress said the territorial integrirty and nations’ right to self-administration run counter each other. He also said though the OSCE Minsk Group has been sparing efforts for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict for more than 15 years, it has yielded no result so far. “Territorial integrity and nations’ right to self-determination are principles that contradict each other,” adding that neither mediators nor the internationanl community “will be able to build bridges over that abyss”.

06.01.2012

1in.am

‘NK’s political resources are exhausted,’ says Azerbaijani political analyst [ARM]

According to this article, Azerbaijani political analyst Mubariz Ahmedoglu said Nagorno Karabakh’s political resources have been exhausted. He also said the OSCE Minsk Group’s mission is on the brink of collapse, while statements suggestiing that the status quo should be changed or that that change is dangerous are merely statements. Ahmedoglu further noted that efforts to build bridges between the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies have not yileded results either as the “Armenians do not allow such a dialogue to take place”.

07.01.2012

Tert.am

Azerbaijani envoy to UN sends letter to Ban Ki-Moon on ceasefire violations in Karabakh

This article says that Azerbaijan’s Permanent Envoy to UN Agshi Mehdiyev sent a 12-page letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in which he attempted to draw attention at ceasefire violations on the Line of Contact in Karabakh. The letter stated the Armenian Armed Forces breached the ceasefire in October 2011 and killed five Azeri soldiers and one civilian. Mahdiyev also said the Armenian side makes efforts to confuse the UN over ceasefire violations.

09.01.2012

Iran supports Armenia over Karabakh – The Washington Times [ENG]

Acording to this news article, a Washington Times article claimed that Iran apperently backs Armenia over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “In fact, Iran has been threatening Azerbaijan for more than a decade,” read the article. “Iran has staunchly supported Armenia’s conquest of undisputed Azerbaijani territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis to the point that Armenia regularly votes against sanctions on Iran in the United Nations”.

09.01.2012

News.am

Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to meet in January [ENG]

This article says that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will mediate on January 15 a meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two presidents- Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, are expected to hold the next round of talks over the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

10.01.2012

Tert.am

No major changes over Karabakh should be expected – Alexander Iskandaryan [ARM]

Armenian political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan said in case Vladimir Putin is elected as Russia’s president, no major shifts should be explected over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “There will be statements over the NKR, there will be meetings, but do not expect drastic changes. Of course, if there is not a force majeure situation,” said he. Iskandaryan also said he was sure Russia will not change its foreign policy and will pay more attention to its domestic problems.

Russia trying to liven up OSCE Minsk Group before elections [ENG]

Fikret Sadykhov, an Azerbaijan-based political scientist, said the January meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, through Russian mediation, will enable official Moscow to rehabilitate the OSCE Minsk Group. “Despite its, frankly speaking, failed activities over the past years, the Minsk Group is still alive. This [meeting] is a means of rehabilitating the Minsk Group and showing the local public, as well as the international community, that the structure is still operating and trying to achieve results in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,” added expert.

10.01.2012

RFEL

No big expectations in Baku from Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting [ARM]

The news of the upcoming meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijan presidents in Russia has not stirred up great enthousiasm in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabekov said in an interview he does not expect anything from the Russia-mediated meeting and that it will be the next “diplomatic failure”. Zardusht Alizade, a Baku-based political analyst, agreed with the general expectation, adding the meeting scheduled to take place in Sochi is simply an attempt to make fake impressions as if the talks over Karabakh continue. “I personally, do not have any expectation from the meeting in Baku,” said he.

10.01.2012

1in.am

New approaches are needed over Karabakh – Masis Mailyan

According to this news item, former Deputy Foreign Minister of the de facto Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, Masis Mailyan, said new approaches are needed for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. He also said the meeting in January of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidetns is necessary even if it doe not yield any final settlement, it ensures stability in the region. “But I do not have any expectations as there are no grounds for any serious progress,” adding that progress cannot be expected unless the format of the talks and approaches to the conflict are not changed.

11.01.2012
Tert.am

Karabakh entered 2012 with strong military-political potential – expert [ENG]

According to this artice, Armenian political analyst Levon Shirinyan said the de facto Republic of Nagorno Karabakh should not lose an inch of its territory. “The NKR entered 2012 with a strong potential. It is mighty, powerful and will not tolerate any mutual concession or the loss of a single inch. All the rest is a matter of time,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

11.01.2012

1in.am

Kazakhstan continues to be neutral over Karabakh – ambassador [ARM]

This article notes the place of Karabakh in Kazakhi political sphere. The article quotes Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Armenia Ayimdos Bozzhigitov saying at a press conference in Yerevan that Kazakhstan continues to keep a neutral position over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Ex-ambassador also said though Azerbaijan is a “brotherly nation” for Kazakhstan, Armenia is on the other hand is an ally at the Collective Security Treaty Organization and therefore Kazakhstan has to have a neutral stance on the conflict.

12.01.2012

Tert.am

Azerbaijan may increase tension in Karabakh in case of war agaisnt Iran [ENG]

According to this article, Armenian specialist of oriental studies Mher Baghdasaryan Azerbaijan will provoke tension in Nagorno Karabakh, should the West unleash a war agasint Iran over its controversial nuclear program. “It’s not excluded that the Karabakh conflict may become more active and Azerbaijan, by resorting to adventures, provoke a fresh war,” adding that Iran, in turn, has warned Azeraijan on various occasions that it will not think twice before striking Azerbaijan, should the latter host Western forces.

12.01.2012

News.am

Ireland’s priority progress towards settlements of protracted conflicts in OSCE area [ENG]

Incumbent OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Eamon Gilmore said during the year of its presidency in OSCE, Ireland will seek ways to make progress towards lasting settlement of protracted conflicts in the OSCE area, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “We in Ireland know all too well the devastating cost of conflict. This experience may be of benefit in facilitating the efforts which are needed to resolve outstanding conflicts in the OSCE region, using the tools of peaceful negotiation and agreed formats and respecting fully the principles of international law”.

Karabakh conflict transformed to international problem – Iranian Speaker [ENG]

Chairperson of Iran’s parliament Alil Larijani, while commenting on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, said the OSCE Minsk Group is engaged in the peace process and that no side’s interests shold be harmed. He also said the Karabakh conflict has transformed into an international one. “The Karabakh conflict has transformed into an international problem but Iran is ready to make its contribution to the settlement of the conflict. No one’s interests should be damaged while tackling this problem, it is very important”.

13.01.2012

Panorama.am

Philip Gordon: US committed to help find solution to NK conflict [ENG]

According to this article, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said during his visit to Berlin that the US will continue its commitment in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “US will continue its high-level involvement through the Minsk Group to help Azerbaijan and Armenia find a peaceful and long-term solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said.

13.01.2012

News.am

Azerbaijan’s new aggression may lead to extermination of country [ENG]

Head of the Assembly of Azerbaijani Armenians Vardan Ayvazyan considers that a new war over Nagorno-Karabakh may lead to catastrophic consequences for Azerbaijan. According to him, in case war breaks out ethnic minorities residing in the territory of Azerbaijan may stand against the incumbent authorities. Such uprising can lead to formation of new independent states of the Talish, Lezgin and other nations.

14.01.2012
Tert.am

Will US-Iran war lead to resumption of hostilities in Karabakh? – MediaFax [ARM]

An article published in the Russian-language publication MediaFax said a possible US-Iran war has both advantages and disadvantages for Azerbaijan. In case of Iran’s defeat Armenia will lose its ally. While the secession of Southern Azerbaijan from Iran will lead to Armenia’s defeat in a fight with Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh will again come under Azerbaijani rule. The disadvantage is that a war in Iran will prompt Iranian citizens to flee to Azerbaijan which may undermine stability in Azerbaijan, with the risks of an “Arab spring” penetrating into the country running high.

Back to Basics: Preventing a New War over NK by Richard Giragosian

PACE Subcommittee on NK: An Opportunity for Multi-track Diplomacy by Afa Alizada

Vulnerable Status Quo and Factors that can Prevent Armed Conflict by Anna Poghosyan

Youth in South Caucasus: Agents of Peace or Future Soldiers? by Jale Sultanli

Social Media: A New Track of Multi-Track Diplomacy by Phil Gamaghelyan

Side effects of conflict: the impact on education system in Azerbaijan by Hashim Gafarov