MP Vardan Khachatrian: No Breakthrough Expected in Karabakh Conflict Resolution in 2011

Social Democrat Hunchakian Party member and Member of Parliament Vardan Khachatryan during a press conference on January 13, stated that in his opinion there will not be a breakthrough in the Karabakh settlement process in 2011, this is in part due to no prerequisites to such a settlement being established in the past year.

According to him, the expectations about the Karabakh conflict during the OSCE Summit in Astana were great, but they were unjustified. The MP recalled one of the formulations of the Astana statement placed an emphasis on taking decisive steps to resolve the conflict. Yet according to the MP, this call has not achieved anything drastic, but has to some extent changed the approaches taken by the parties. In particular, Azerbaijan’s military rhetoric has considerably decreased as a result of its increased activities with international agencies.

Baku has intensified its efforts in the international arena and is utilizing new methods of intimidation. The main purpose of Baku, Khachatryan believes is to transfer the Karabakh issue to the UN, where Baku is going to rely on OIC countries to work towards its behalf. The only question is to ensure consideration in the UN Security Council, which is problematic, but, nevertheless, extremely dangerous. According to him, the question of the introduction of peacekeeping forces negates any possible progress towards the conflict. “Who will perform the peacekeeping mission in the conflict zone, is a matter of great concern, which greatly slows down the process” said Khachatryan. “Azerbaijan is not a patron of any superpower and will not be able to force a solution, thus the Karabakh issue is left, primarily, to the discretion of the parties of the conflict.”

Nevertheless, Khachatryan noted the negative trends in the Karabakh settlement. In particular, he pointed to the intensification of talks on delaying the self-determination status of Nagorno Karabakh. “Many say that the status issue should be delayed for 20-30 years, and what is needed is fostering of the return of “temporarily displaced persons,” as well as establishing open communication between the parties. These are the desires Azerbaijan will like to move to the forefront in the international arena, and dangerous for Karabakh” he said, adding that most international structures, for example; PACE, are structured to protect primarily the interests of the states, not the will of the people. Obviously, Azerbaijan is exerting every effort to form the resolution process in this manner,” the parliamentarian said.

Recognition by Armenia of Nagorno-Karabakh, will result in Stepanakert’s shortest path to return to the negotiating table. “Currently, 70 states have recognized Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the fact that all of the above are considered as breakaway republics in the international arena should be seen as a positive in terms of Karabakh’s future,” said the parliamentarian. As such the same process should be taken by Armenia towards Kharabakh. Recognizing the Republic of Nogorno-Karabakh will contribute to the process of international recognition of Karabakh. In this context, the deputy found it possible to use partnership-building with countries in Latin America.