FROM SUDAN TO KARABAKH
In the faraway African country the bloody conflict has been solved on the basis of self-determination of nations.
Recently the parliament of Sudan unanimously ratified the treaty signed on January 9 by the head of the state and the leader of the unrecognized government of the self-proclaimed republic of southern Sudan. It should be mentioned that according to the signed document the southern part of the country can gain independence if the majority of the population vote for that in the referendum. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has issued a statement welcoming the decision of Sudan authorities which is based on the principle of recognizing the right of people to self-determination. "We hope that the treaty will open a new page of peace and prosperity in the history of Sudan" it is said in the document issued by the press service of Armenian foreign ministry.
The bloody conflict between the north and the south has lasted for about half a century. More than a million people have become victims of the conflict. All the things that usually accompany international conflicts have taken place here. Rebellious movement, ethnic cleanings, refugee camps, rooted hostility and so on. The long lasting conflict passed to the military stage back in 1956. The armistice signed in 1972 lasted only 11 years. In 1983 the central government made an attempt to introduce Sheriyat all over the country. This brought to new outbreak in the south where the majority of people practice Christianity or African national religions.
Peace talks started two years ago. The two parties signed armistice on the last day of the past year presenting a brilliant New Year's gift to their people. Later, on January 9 the two parties signed a treaty according to which southern Sudan gained a special status of autonomy for six years. At the end of the six-years term a referendum will be conducted. In the referendum the people of southern Sudan will decide their future status voting either for full independence or autonomy. During six years the leader of southerners will also be the vice-president of the whole Sudan. He will take direct participation in working out the new Constitution that will create legal mechanisms for separating the autonomy from Sudan. At the same time the signed treaty gives an unexampled chance to the central government to start everything anew and to persuade southerners that they will gain security and prosperity only being a part of united Sudan. If the efforts turn to be useless northerners will peacefully separate from southerners leaving any hostility in the past.
Thus, after a long war the central government anyway agreed to acknowledge the right of its citizens to self-determination. This is an interesting precedent that can be considered in the light of Karabakh conflict. It may seem that Africa is too far from Caucasus for drawing appropriate parallels. However, Sudan and Karabakh have much in common. In both of the cases there is a long lasting conflict burdened with historical hostility. Both in Karabakh and in Sudan we deal with Muslim majority appellant to the inviolability of borders and Christian minority depending on the principle of self-determination of nations. And finally Sudan just like Azerbaijan is rich in oil. Southerners just like the people of Karabakh have often suffered because transnational oil companies helped Khartoum to lobby its interests. Like Ilham Aliev the leader of Sudan Omar Bashir pins all his hopes with hydrocarbon deposits. But in contrast to the Azerbaijan leader the African president now trusts more to the method of "carrot policy". Official Khartoum has declared its readiness to equally share the profits from "black gold" exports with the south. Aliev hasn't promised anything of the kind to Karabakh
It should be noted that during negotiations on Karabakh conflict resolution once there was a discussed model that was quite alike the Sudanese one. After the negotiations of Kocharyan and Aliev in Astana Russian media resources started to speak about a referendum that was probably foreseen in the discussed formula. These announcements caused serious worries in Azerbaijan. There is no information about whether the mentioned formula is on the agenda of negotiations or not. In any case the precedent of conflict resolution based on the right of nations to self-determination is very essential.
Artyom Yerkanyan
Peace talks started two years ago. The two parties signed armistice on the last day of the past year presenting a brilliant New Year's gift to their people. Later, on January 9 the two parties signed a treaty according to which southern Sudan gained a special status of autonomy for six years. At the end of the six-years term a referendum will be conducted. In the referendum the people of southern Sudan will decide their future status voting either for full independence or autonomy. During six years the leader of southerners will also be the vice-president of the whole Sudan. He will take direct participation in working out the new Constitution that will create legal mechanisms for separating the autonomy from Sudan. At the same time the signed treaty gives an unexampled chance to the central government to start everything anew and to persuade southerners that they will gain security and prosperity only being a part of united Sudan. If the efforts turn to be useless northerners will peacefully separate from southerners leaving any hostility in the past.
Thus, after a long war the central government anyway agreed to acknowledge the right of its citizens to self-determination. This is an interesting precedent that can be considered in the light of Karabakh conflict. It may seem that Africa is too far from Caucasus for drawing appropriate parallels. However, Sudan and Karabakh have much in common. In both of the cases there is a long lasting conflict burdened with historical hostility. Both in Karabakh and in Sudan we deal with Muslim majority appellant to the inviolability of borders and Christian minority depending on the principle of self-determination of nations. And finally Sudan just like Azerbaijan is rich in oil. Southerners just like the people of Karabakh have often suffered because transnational oil companies helped Khartoum to lobby its interests. Like Ilham Aliev the leader of Sudan Omar Bashir pins all his hopes with hydrocarbon deposits. But in contrast to the Azerbaijan leader the African president now trusts more to the method of "carrot policy". Official Khartoum has declared its readiness to equally share the profits from "black gold" exports with the south. Aliev hasn't promised anything of the kind to Karabakh
It should be noted that during negotiations on Karabakh conflict resolution once there was a discussed model that was quite alike the Sudanese one. After the negotiations of Kocharyan and Aliev in Astana Russian media resources started to speak about a referendum that was probably foreseen in the discussed formula. These announcements caused serious worries in Azerbaijan. There is no information about whether the mentioned formula is on the agenda of negotiations or not. In any case the precedent of conflict resolution based on the right of nations to self-determination is very essential.
Artyom Yerkanyan
