If desired, protocols can be manipulated; it's what Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to do

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nevertheless, the Protocols can hardly seriously affect the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, which, as once again stressed by Foreign Ministers of the co-chair countries, should be based on the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, which clearly states all the three principles of conflict regulation: the principle of Non-Use of Force or Threat of Force, Territorial Integrity, and the Self-Determination of Peoples. On the other hand, if desired, the protocols can be manipulated and it's exactly what Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to do, somehow forgetting that the world powers unequivocally oppose to drawing such parallels.

Each of the sides interprets these principles in its own way. The principles "all are of primary significance, and, consequently, they will be equally and unreservedly applied in the interpretation of each of them, taking into account the others". But, for some reason, this has been forgotten about for 15 years and disputes have been stirred up about which of the principles is more important...

"The participating States will respect each other's sovereign equality and individuality, as well as all the rights inherent in and encompassed by its sovereignty, including in particular the right of every State to juridical equality, to territorial integrity, to freedom and political independence. Within the framework of international law, all the participating States have equal rights and duties. Their frontiers can be changed, in accordance with international law, by peaceful means and by agreement." Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is guided by this principle only, having neither historical nor legal basis to do so. But presently it is useless to prove anything to Baku, and therefore we will not even try. We'll confine ourselves only to giving the other two principles which are equally important in regulating a conflict, and about which Ilham Aliyev unfortunately "forgets".

"The participating States will refrain in their mutual relations, as well as in their international relations in general, from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations and with the present Declaration. No consideration may be invoked to serve to warrant resort to the threat or use of force in contravention of this principle.

Accordingly, the participating States will refrain from any acts constituting a threat of force or direct or indirect use of force against another participating State. No such threat or use of force will be employed as a means of settling disputes, or questions likely to give rise to disputes, between them. The participating States regard as inviolable all one another's frontiers, as well as the frontiers of all states in Europe and therefore they will refrain now and in the future from assaulting these frontiers. Accordingly, they will also refrain from any demand for, or act of, seizure and usurpation of part or all of the territory of any participating State."

Not once we've mentioned that the bellicose statements of President Aliyev and his entourage will eventually lead to the situation when he will not be taken seriously. Moreover, Azerbaijan as a minimum faces sanctions as a country that does not meet its obligations to the Council of Europe. At most, it will be excluded from the CE. And though it will hardly come to the latter, paraphrasing President Ilham Aliyev we can say that "The patience of European officials is not endless".

And finally "The participating States will respect the equal rights of peoples and their right to self-determination, acting at all times in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with the relevant norms of international law, including those relating to territorial integrity of States. By virtue of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, all peoples always have the right, in full freedom, to determine, when and as they wish, their internal and external political status, without external interference, and to pursue as they wish their political, economic, social and cultural development. The participating States reaffirm the universal significance of respect for and effective exercise of equal rights and self-determination of peoples for the development of friendly relations among themselves as among all States; they also recall the importance of the elimination of any form of violation of this principle."

Such a long campaign against illiteracy was necessary to discourage any encroachment on the right of the NKR people to self-determination, as well as to warn the Baku officials that the talks about "Armenia being frightened of the statements of President Aliyev" are at least ridiculous. Baku should also keep in mind that the zombiing of one's own people always ends miserably both for the leadership and for the people themselves. We've talked of this several times, but sometimes it is useful to repeat oneself...

It is from this point of view that the statement of the OSCE made in Athens should be considered: Azerbaijan will not be allowed to regulate the Karabakh conflict at its discretion, nor will Turkey be allowed any interference in the none-of-its-business affairs.