Baku indirectly consents to the referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh
Нigh-ranking official from Aliev's administration supposes that peace agreement should suppose conducting a referendum after 15-20 years.
In his interview to a state information agency the head of international relations department of Azeri president's administration Novruz Mamedov indirectly confirmed that the plan of Karabakh conflict settlement which is currently under discussion supposes assignment of international peace-making forces and conducting of a referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. This revelation of the Azeri state figure from Ilham Aliev's administration is not accidental taking into account the fact that the interview was published on the day when negotiations between foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan where under way in London.
The statement on the possibility of conducting a referendum on the status of Karabakh is made for the first time by a high-ranking representative of Azeri political leadership. Novruz Mamedov tried to avoid placing the emphasis of the interview on referendum. He simply did not deny that on one of the stages the settlement plan discussed, really supposes conducting a referendum. "Our main task is the regulation of the conflict, liberation of Azeri territories and returning of refugees from places of their residence. As for the referendum, it can be conducted after 15-20 years", Mamedov said. Unexpected was the fact that Mamedov confirmed the consent of official Baku to the participation of Karabakh in negotiations. However he also noted that "participation of the Armenian population of Karabakh is possible at the end of the negotiation process".
Talking about the perspectives of assigning peace-making forces in the region, the representative of Aliev's administration said that it is a matter of future. Nevertheless, he did not deny that the discussed model of conflict settlement supposes the involvement of peacemakers which will be positioned both along the borderline of Armenia and Azerbaijan and between Armenian and Azeri villages of Karabakh. Novruz Mamedov says that if in the upcoming negotiations the parties reach an agreement, it will undoubtedly be reflected in the corresponding document. Mamedov of course did not mention any dates. However, the very fact that the high-ranking member of the president's administration speaks about signing a document, is already something real.
Novruz Mamedov's interview confirmed the authenticity of the information coming now and again from the pages of Armenian and Azeri press resources that the plan proposed by mediators is based on the gradual release of a part of security zone territories and conducting of a referendum on the status Karabakh. How will the process of agreement realization look if it is really achieved? This question is answered by Mamedov too. "After agreeing upon principal questions, we shall pass on working out the technical part of the process of occupied territories' liberation, decision of forms and terms, what to begin from and how to realize the mine clearing process..."
Meanwhile, independent political scientists go deep in the details of the plan under discussion. And though there are no guarantees that the information sources of the political scientists are really reliable, their versions look quite interesting. Recently, famous Azeri public figure Aris Yunus shared very interesting information with journalists. He said he possessed information that the mediators and ministers have already agreed upon the two-page text of the document which will be signed by the presidents of the two countries during their February meeting. According to Yunus, after the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the 5 Armenian-controlled regions of lower Karabakh, peace-making forces will arrive in those regions. Simultaneously, after restoring all the communications, international organizations will launch the economic rehabilitation program, within the frames of which each of the parties will receive 5 milliard US dollars from donors.
The Azeri political scientist possesses information that the parties have already reached an agreement on the intermediate status of Karabakh. According to Aris Yunus, the authorities of Azerbaijan agree with the point that Karabakh should be a self-governed unit having nearly all the attributes of a state, including a national army. As for the referendum, according to Yunus it will be conducted already after 10 years and the people will answer to one of the three suggested questions: first - Karabakh is proclaimed an independent state, second - Karabakh is united with Azerbaijan and third - Karabakh is united with Armenia. And only after the referendum Azerbaijan will take control of Kelbajar. In case of negative results for Azerbaijan, the issue of Lachin will become a separate subject of discussion.
We should of course not take the described version as a final truth. But it is easy to notice that on the whole the version of Yunus fully fits with what Novruz Mamedov talked about. Thus, we can suppose that official Baku has really softened its approach to negotiations and has begun affording things that would never afford not long ago.
Talking about the perspectives of assigning peace-making forces in the region, the representative of Aliev's administration said that it is a matter of future. Nevertheless, he did not deny that the discussed model of conflict settlement supposes the involvement of peacemakers which will be positioned both along the borderline of Armenia and Azerbaijan and between Armenian and Azeri villages of Karabakh. Novruz Mamedov says that if in the upcoming negotiations the parties reach an agreement, it will undoubtedly be reflected in the corresponding document. Mamedov of course did not mention any dates. However, the very fact that the high-ranking member of the president's administration speaks about signing a document, is already something real.
Novruz Mamedov's interview confirmed the authenticity of the information coming now and again from the pages of Armenian and Azeri press resources that the plan proposed by mediators is based on the gradual release of a part of security zone territories and conducting of a referendum on the status Karabakh. How will the process of agreement realization look if it is really achieved? This question is answered by Mamedov too. "After agreeing upon principal questions, we shall pass on working out the technical part of the process of occupied territories' liberation, decision of forms and terms, what to begin from and how to realize the mine clearing process..."
Meanwhile, independent political scientists go deep in the details of the plan under discussion. And though there are no guarantees that the information sources of the political scientists are really reliable, their versions look quite interesting. Recently, famous Azeri public figure Aris Yunus shared very interesting information with journalists. He said he possessed information that the mediators and ministers have already agreed upon the two-page text of the document which will be signed by the presidents of the two countries during their February meeting. According to Yunus, after the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the 5 Armenian-controlled regions of lower Karabakh, peace-making forces will arrive in those regions. Simultaneously, after restoring all the communications, international organizations will launch the economic rehabilitation program, within the frames of which each of the parties will receive 5 milliard US dollars from donors.
The Azeri political scientist possesses information that the parties have already reached an agreement on the intermediate status of Karabakh. According to Aris Yunus, the authorities of Azerbaijan agree with the point that Karabakh should be a self-governed unit having nearly all the attributes of a state, including a national army. As for the referendum, according to Yunus it will be conducted already after 10 years and the people will answer to one of the three suggested questions: first - Karabakh is proclaimed an independent state, second - Karabakh is united with Azerbaijan and third - Karabakh is united with Armenia. And only after the referendum Azerbaijan will take control of Kelbajar. In case of negative results for Azerbaijan, the issue of Lachin will become a separate subject of discussion.
We should of course not take the described version as a final truth. But it is easy to notice that on the whole the version of Yunus fully fits with what Novruz Mamedov talked about. Thus, we can suppose that official Baku has really softened its approach to negotiations and has begun affording things that would never afford not long ago.
