Karabakh - on May 12, 1994 the protocol on ceasefire was put into action

PanARMENIAN.Net - On May 4-5, 1994 in Bishkek on the initiative of the CIS inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, RF Federal Assembly, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs a session was held, during which it was stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict "doesn't only cripple the Azeri and Armenian Nations but also touches upon the interests of the other countries of the region, as well as tenses the international climate."

The participants of the session called all the confronting parties "to listen to the voice within and cease the fire, resting upon the Protocol of February 18, 1994, as well as to secure this in the shortest time by signing a trustworthy and legally binding agreement, anticipating a mechanism of securing the resumption of the ceasefire, the withdrawal of the troops from the occupied territories and renewal of the communication, as well as returning the refugees."

It was then, when "the Russian Plan" of regulation was promulgated, the essence of which according to the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation Vladimir Shumeiko was as follows; "The conflict may not be liquidated without the Karabakh authorities being recognized by the conflicting party" which naturally didn't like the Azeri delegation, whose head Afiyeddin Jalilov at first didn't sign below the Bishkek Protocol of May 5. But on May 9 in the session of the Supreme Council of Armenia its former Chairman Babken Ararktsyan informed, that he had had a telephone conversation with the former Chairman of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Rasul Guliyev who had informed him that Azerbaijan had signed below the Bishkek Protocol too.

The Bishkek Protocol defined the date of the ceasefire - May 9. There was a relative lull on the fronts, though the armistice was put into effect not on May 9, but May 12. It was validated by a letter from the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan and Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh army commander addressed on May 11 by the Russian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs and the representative of the President of Russia. On May 17 a specified "Arrangement" about the order of realization of the Protocol of February 18 was signed. Below it carried the same signatures as the Protocol.

But the USA made it clear that it was against Russia's intermediary efforts. George Mareska; the former CSCE Co-chairman supported America's conception of Nagorno-Karabakh self-determination, the realization of which would leave it within the bounds of Azerbaijan "on the basis of free union." According to the RF first Ambassador to Armenia Vladimir Stupishin peaceful way of conflict regulation without interference of outer powers is not possible in the nearest future. "Plans" suggested by the CSCE, which always stand in favor for Azerbaijan and are always unacceptable by Karabakh have become one of the factors creating troubles in the regulation process," Stupishin writes.