Artsakh official believes OSCE MG must recall Kosovo precedent while working on Karabakh issue

PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE MG co-chairs report on territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh cannot claim to be fully objective, as the Field Assessment Mission never visited NKR territories occupied by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has already tired using one-sided reports for propaganda purposes, hampering decrease of tension in the region, Masis Mailyan, chairman of NKR Public Council for Foreign Policy and Security told PanARMENIAN.Net

As he noted, the closed nature of the report does not allow to fully assess its contents. “In a released resume of the report, the co-chairs stress the unacceptability of status quo preservation. Which is hard to disagree. The important thing is that the change of status-quo should be positive and not lead to resumption of hostilities on behalf of Azerbaijan. Positive change in the situation is possible in case OSCE international mediators apply recent precedents of conflict settlement in Balkans and Caucasus, as well as Kosovo independence precedent. Until OSCE MG mediators are basing their work on basic principles of conflict settlement or Madrid principles, compromise will be difficult to achieve,” Mailyan stressed.

Republic of Kosovo declared independence on 17 February 2008 and over the following days, a number of states (the United States, Turkey, Albania, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Australia, Poland and others) announced their recognition. Currently, 75 UN states recognise the independence of Kosovo and it has become a member country of the IMF and World Bank as the Republic of Kosovo.

The OSCE MG co-chairs presented a report of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs' Field Assessment Mission to territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to OSCE Secretary General. The report testifies to the fact that OSCE representatives in charge of field assessment “failed to notice” the actively developing infrastructure of Artsakh as well as the development of economic, cultural and social sectors.

According to OSCE official website, the report sais, “In traveling more than 1,000 kilometers throughout the territories, the Co-Chairs saw stark evidence of the disastrous consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the failure to reach a peaceful settlement. Towns and villages that existed before the conflict are abandoned and almost entirely in ruins. While no reliable figures exist, the overall population is roughly estimated as 14,000 persons, living in small settlements and in the towns of Lachin and Kelbajar. The Co-Chairs assess that there has been no significant growth in the population since 2005. The settlers, for the most part ethnic Armenians who were relocated to the territories from elsewhere in Azerbaijan, live in precarious conditions, with poor infrastructure, little economic activity, and limited access to public services. Many lack identity documents. For administrative purposes, the seven territories, the former NK Oblast, and other areas have been incorporated into eight new districts.”

As the co-chairs believe, “the harsh reality of the situation in the territories has reinforced the view of the Co-Chairs that the status quo is unacceptable, and that only a peaceful, negotiated settlement can bring the prospect of a better, more certain future to the people who used to live in the territories and those who live there now.”

The Co-Chairs urge the leaders of all the parties to avoid any activities in the territories and other disputed areas that would prejudice a final settlement or change the character of these areas. They also recommend that measures be taken to preserve cemeteries and places of worship in the territories and to clarify the status of settlers who lack identity documents. The Co-Chairs intend to undertake further missions to other areas affected by the NK conflict, and to include in such missions experts from relevant international agencies that would be involved in implementing a peace settlement.