May 23, 2007

THE KARABAKH CONUNDRUM - LAND FOR PEACE -WILL IT WORK??



There is an interesting article in the current issue of KarabakhOpen that deals with the topic of who exactly is representing the wishes of the people of Karabakh in the ongoing negotiations process to reach a political settlement after a decade of " No Peace-No War".

Recently there has been a rash of statements emanating from Karabakh refuting any possible deal that includes a return of the "liberated territories" that surround the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Even NKR President Ghukasyan has recently declared that Kashatagh, the region sandwiched between the Republic of Armenian and the NKR that included the Lachin Corridor, will never be returned to Azerbaijan hegemony.


The writer of the article advances the theory that an agreement has already been reached in the tri-party negotiations that include Armenia, Azerbaijan and the international community, most notably the OSCE Minsk Group. The alleged deal includes a withdrawal of Armenian forces from the "liberated lands", a gradual return of displaced refugees and a public referendum to be held down the road to finalize the status of the NKR.


What the article implies is that the recent Parliamentary elections in Armenia were given a satisfactory "nod" by the international election observers mainly due to the fact that a "legitimate" government is needed in Armenia to sign on to the existing agreement; an agreement that the Minsk Group believes is the best option for all parties involved.


However, the KarabakhOpen commentary points out that Karabakh government is not a participant in these talks and the wishes of the people who fought and survived the war are not taken into account.

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