Today's Format of Talks Not Targeted at Long-Term Settlement of Karabakh Conflict

The speeding up of the settlement process revealed the weak points of the negotiation process. The format of the talks doesn't correspond to the configuration of the conflict. The problem of the Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan is one of the factors. This problem was raised by the refugees themselves, who unified to protect their rights and appealed to the Armenian and Azerbaijani President as well as to the co-chair states.

According to the plan proposed by the mediators, Azerbaijan receives some territories while the Azeri refugees return to their homes. However one should not forget that unlike the Armenian population of Baku, Kirovabad and Sumgait these people were not subjected to violence and ethnic cleansings. Moreover many of them joined the Azeri troops and then retreated with the Azeri army. As you know at that time the military units in Azerbaijan were formed according to a territorial principle. Now the Co-chairs bypass the problem of the Armenian refugees. I would like to remind that the survey showed that Armenian refugees will not return to their former residence under the jurisdiction of the Azerbaijani Republic. "Refugees and International Law" civic society network proposes to include the issue of 500 thousand Armenian refugees in the agenda of the talks. As far as I know the members of the organization met with representatives of the Embassy of one of the co-chair states.

To put it simply, today's settlement plan and the format of the talks is not targeted at long-term settlement of the conflict. The aims of the mediators and sides involved in the conflict differ in understanding the core of the conflict. As for the proposals already rejected by the parties, it's not worth talking of them and judging which one was better.

Restoration of communications and opening of borders cannot resolve the conflict; moreover this will not guarantee considerable economic progress. They say if the proposal is accepted Armenia will prosper and investments will flow. Nothing of the kind. The country should develop itself. People in the West can count money and they will give as much as it's essential to secure their interests.

The quicker the Armenian society develops the sooner the problem will be resolved. We should not mark time and wait for something. Turkey's example is vivid. This country has done nothing valuable for the history of the world civilization but it blocked the direct way to Asia for Europe and forced it to search for alternative routes. The search of a seaway to India and discovery of America once conveyed an impulse to the development of science thus giving birth to the reign of western civilization in the world. Turkey did its best to leave the East "in darkness". Today Turkey and Azerbaijan exercise the same policy as regards Armenia and NKR.