Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.25
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
A new kind of negotiation mechanism must be established on the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as the one that has existed through a generation, has proven to be ineffective, UK Transatlantic & Caucasus Studies Institute director Ziba Norman told Trend.
She said the main mediators in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict - the US and Russia - have very different views of how the post-Cold War world should be structured.
"Against this backdrop, it is difficult to see how a peace process structured by such sponsors will yield lasting results," said the expert.
Norman said that Armenians' attempts to disturb the relative peace in the region lies in their desire to string out the negotiation process on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and create a de facto state in the occupied territories.
"The international community does not recognize the existence of such a state and must resist all efforts at further fragmentation," said the expert.
Norman said there may be those that see fragmentation as a benefit to their national goals, but this is not in the interests of the people of the region.
She also noted that Azerbaijan and Armenia are drastically different in terms of development level.
She said Armenians, who have a very weak economy exist largely as a result of Russian support, while Azerbaijan's stability and oil wealth are important to the energy security of the West.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI
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