Twenty years have passed since a cease fire agreement was signed between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno Karabakh.[1] While the truce put an end the large-scale hostilities, there is no final peace agreement, and the sides continue to suffer casualties. The question why the cease fire has not lead to the comprehensive peace agreement remains rhetorical; the lack of confidence between the parties and aggressive behavior of Azerbaijan are major obstacles. Moreover, the current phase of the peace process remains incomplete with no comprehensive participation of Nagorno Karabakh authorities.
Why does Azerbaijan avoid negotiations with Nagorno Karabakh? Why does Baku deny previous contacts with NKR authorities?[2] The answer lies in Baku’s policy and goals towards everything Armenian. Throughout last 20 years of relative peace, the world and the region have witnessed Azerbaijan’s aggressive warmongering, instigation of hatred towards Armenians, military build-up, and disregard of calls from the international community to initiate confidence-building measures.[3]
The goals are evident and not new. Just like during the war from 1991-1994, Azerbaijan uses cease-fire “breaks” to regroup and rebuild its military capacities. As soon as it feels ready for another attempt, the Azeri leadership begins blackmailing with renewed aggression and demands from the Armenian sides to accept the unacceptable.[4] Sniper war and cross-border subversions are parts of these tactics.
Another aspect is Baku’s efforts to distort the essence of the Karabakh problem and misrepresent the issue as “Armenia’s territorial claim towards Azerbaijan”. Azerbaijan manipulates with the UN Security Council’s resolutions regarding the Karabakh conflict and complains about “occupation of its territories by Armenia”. In reality, none of those resolutions, which remained unimplemented at Baku’s fault,[5] has ever mentioned Armenia as aggressor state, since Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh are the two principal parties to the conflict.[6]
Two rhetorical questions: if the problem was between Armenia and Azerbaijan, why then would president Aliyev (the father of incumbent Azeri leader) delegate his envoys to negotiate with official representatives of the NKR[7]; why was the 1994 ceasefire document entered into force after being signed by three parties, including Nagorno Karabakh?
Restoration of the previous, OSCE-supported framework with participation of the NKR will promote negotiations and facilitate final settlement. Implementation of confidence-building measures (CBM) by all sides, especially between NKR and Azerbaijan, will help reduce the tension and create a favorable atmosphere for the two societies to overcome the existing problems. Unfortunately, all previous attempts to restore trust between the peoples failed after Azerbaijan blocked any CBM initiatives she had received through the OSCE mediators.[8]
The peaceful formula is simple: less casualties, less warmongering, more trust, more chances to achieve regional peace. Through the last 20 years, Armenia and NKR have tried to persuade Azerbaijan that a peaceful solution had no alternative, that snipers along the border further aggravated the situation and postponed settlement. Today, the Armenian states send the same message to “hawks” in Baku, calling them to abandon revanchist aspirations and prevent another tragedy. International community and mediators should make it clear that Azerbaijani leaders must assume responsibility, and prepare its people for peace, rather than war.[9]
Notes
[1] Text of cease fire agreement signed by Azerbaijan Armenia, and Nagorno Karabakh: http://nkr.am/en/ceasefire-agreement/147/
[2] Azerbaijani leaders official correspondence with NKR authorities: http://en.aravot.am/2013/05/17/154363/
[3] “Our main enemies are Armenians of the world…”, Extract from speech of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev, February 28, 2012 http://en.president.az/articles/4423
[4] Vladimir Kazimirov, former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group (1992-1996),“There is too much obscurity and fraud in Baku’s policy on Karabakh”, http://www.regnum.ru/english/700714.html
[5] Vladimir Kazimirov, former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group (1992-1996), “It’s time to deal with Aliyev’s war threats”, http://reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=466D0A64-DF81-11DE-89960003FF3452C2&pg=1
[6] See UN Security Council Resolutions 822,853,874 & 884: http://www.un.org/docs/scres/1993/scres93.htm
[7] President Heydar Aliev delegated his envoy to negotiate with the NKR: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=345206142176802&set=pb.338103006220449.-2207520000.1400632709.&type=3&theater
[9] Collection of war threat statements by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and other Azerbaijani officials: http://www.eufoa.org/uploads/AliyevWarThreats.pdf
very good article!! good job!
The author’s day job, plus work for ‘Americans for Artsakh,’ (a country not recognized by any other, including Armenia) are telling. The notion that Azerbaijan is the aggressor state is preposterous and only perpetrated by those trying to justify Armenia’s continued occupation of Azerbaijani territory. Nagorno Karabakh has always been part of Azerbaijan. This is reflected in its international legal status as a region of Azerbaijan, within it’s internationally recognised borders. Indeed, the author even references the UN Security Council resolutions supporting this fact which state: “Reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani Republic and of all other States in the region,” in addition to, “Reaffirming also the inviolability of international borders and the
inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory.” The calls to respect Azerbaijani territorial integrity have additionally been echoed by the UN General Assembly, the European Parliament, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, together with recognition by individual nation states.
Azerbaijan has demonstrated unbelievable patience with both the other side and
the Minsk Group process yet after 20 years continues to live with a neighbor hell-bent on prolonging the status quo. The process as stands is not moving forward and needs a new impetus. The EU should be more involved and not just three nations states that just so happen to have the largest Armenian diasporas (US, Russia, France), who as a result are continually lobbied to ensure that history is
re-written and NK remains under Armenian control. All of this despite Azerbaijan’s continued offer of higher autonomy for NK and the chance for Azerbaijanis and Armenians to live peacefully side by side once more.
Your day job is telling: The Director of Communications, European Azerbaijan Society. Basically the Minister of Propaganda and Disinformation for the Aliyev Sultanate.
Let us proceed then to debunk some of your disinformation, shall we Mr. Cook ?
{“ Armenia’s continued occupation..”}
RoA occupies nothing. Indigenous people of Artsakh/NKR, Armenians, are living on their own lands. It is not logically possible for someone to, quote, ‘occupy’ their own lands.
{“ Nagorno Karabakh has always been part of Azerbaijan.”}
Nope: NK has never been part of Azerbaijan. Not before the Soviets came to the region and not after.
Azerbaijan SSR was given the legal mandate to Administer NKAO, under Federal supervision of Moscow.
When Azerbaijan SSR declared independence from USSR, its legal mandate was voided. NKAO declared independence and became NKR.
Azerbaijan then invaded NKR and was massively defeated and thrown out. Historic Armenian lands were liberated.
Indigenous Armenians have been living in the Armenian Highlands, including South Caucasus, for at least 5,000 years.
There were no Turks, none, zero, zilch anywhere near Caucasus up until about 1000AD.
Tatar Turks, now known as ‘Caucasian Turks’, invaded from their homelands in East and Central Asia.
{“ Azerbaijan has demonstrated unbelievable patience…”}
Is that why Azerbaijan refuses NKR’s and RoA’s open offer to remove all snipers from the LOC and continues killing Armenian young men ?
Is that why Azerbaijan continues firing at Armenians civilian targets such as schools?
Is that why Azerbaijan keeps sending special forces teams to breach the LOC?
Is that why the convicted axe murderer of a sleeping Armenian man is a celebrated national hero in Azerbaijan?
@Leon Cook
The current regime in Baku can Not survive without its Nazi like anti Armenian state ideology !
As Armenia did exist as a nation and state (including NK territory as its part) not only US didn’t have a constitution at that time, but world did NOT know a “Turkey” in its currents location and border either – let alone a state named “Azerbaijani Republic” , whose authorities with place historians , paid scholars and lobby groups are still working on a national identify!- You are talking absolutist non seance and repeating the well know “bla bla bla” of officials in Baku!
Armenians are not interested when -and how often – Azerbaijani authorities will change there religion , Alphabet and there fake national identity – Nagorno Karabakh is not for sell! Karabakh is Armenia!
Officials in Baku better stop there Armeniaphobia instead trying to involve forefingers in there crime !
Peace for NKR ! Peace for Armenia and peace for new Azerbaijani Republic being created by Turksih war lorads in historc Armenian settlements ….
http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2014/05/31/zafer-noyan-azerbaijan/
Azerbaijani Armenophobia hits Turks: Turkish athlete Zafer Noyan, being taking for Armenian, was not allowed to enter Baku
Azerbaijani authorities sent Turkish athlete
Zafer Noyan, who arrived in Baku to attend the European Arm-wrestling
Championship, back to his homeland. As the Azerbaijani portal
Sportbox.az quotes Turkish media, the reason for this was that Noyan was
taken for an Armenian in Baku.
Turkish athlete argued that he was not an Armenian, however it did not help him and he was deported to Turkey.
Armenophobia in Azerbaijan is also evident by the fact that people with
Armenian surnames or the surnames that are similar to Armenian ones are
not allowed to enter the republic. Thus, in 2010 because of illegal
actions of the “Aeroflot” representation of Azerbaijan the Armenian
delegation was not able to leave Moscow to Baku for the 64th General
Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union.
In June 2011, a photojournalist of the Bloomberg agency, a citizen of
the United States and Russia Diana Markosian was deported from Baku to
Istanbul because of her Armenian origin. MFA of Azerbaijan confirmed
that the Armenian origin of the photojournalist of Bloomberg agency has
served a reason for her deportation: “During her stay in Azerbaijan
Markosian will face security problems because of her Armenian origin.”
In July 2011, two players of Russian “Torpedo” club from Armavir were
deported from Azerbaijan immediately after arriving at the airport of
Ganja.
In October 2011, representatives of “Azerbaijan Airlines” (AZAL), at the
airport “Domodedovo” the representative of “AvtoVAZ” citizen of Russian
federation Sergei Gyurjian was removed from Moscow – Baku flight,
together with his Israeli colleague Shuhmahera Demitra, the Director of
“LADA International Limited”, who were involved in the delegation in
Baku for committing a deal to import LADA cars to the Republic of
Azerbaijan.
At the same time, the head of the press service of “Azerbaijani
Railways” Nadir Azmammadov stated that “the entry of those having
Armenia nationality, as well as citizens of other countries of Armenian
origin is officially banned in Azerbaijan.”
In December 2012, at the Baku airport, a Russian journalist from
Kabardino-Balkaria, Sufyan Zhemukhova, was detained. The cause of the
almost failed deportation was the name of the journalist – Sufyan that
reminded the Azerbaijani border guards the ending of the Armenian
surnames.
Department of State, DPB, May 30
QUESTION: The Azerbaijani President Aliyev said that Armenia’s fate will be very dark if it does not withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that Armenia is led by a criminal, corrupt, and dictatorial regime. Do you have any comment on that and what it means for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue?
MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm. Well, let me first say that inflammatory rhetoric and statements that run counter to these – to our principles raise tensions in the region and damage the peace process. As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, we remain committed to helping the parties reach a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Joint statements by the Minsk Group presidents and co-chair countries from 2009 to 2013 have made clear that a lasting settlement must be based on the core principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, particularly with respect to the non-use of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights of self-determination of people. So we call on all sides to redouble their efforts at the negotiation table and to focus on the benefits that peace would bring to people across the region.
It simply could not be better phrased: “The peaceful formula is simple: less casualties, less warmongering, more trust, more chances to achieve regional peace.” No peace will be possible without the trust being re-established between the governments and the nations. And the present day regime in Baku does not seem to be interested in peacebuilding, just because of the nature of the regime, a classical case for political theorists to explore.
Well, Armenians are getting frightened after all, as more and more Russia’s influence destroys their future…
Ridiculous propaganda article from a known Armenian propagandist. Nothing new really:
Wikileaks: https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/?viewemailid=2939184
“There is a large Armenian community that supports a concerted effort to vilify Azerbaijan’s claims to Nogorno-Karabakh without a firm base underlying the claims”