Day.Az interview with political commentator at Azerbaijan-based Lider TV Tofiq Abbasov.
What are your comments on outcome of the Sochi meeting on resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?The Sochi negotiations showed that 2010 will witness another attempt to compare positions and to move forward the negotiations. It became clear again that Azerbaijan is in a more favorable situation, because there can be no withdrawal from the previously stated priorities and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is not matter of debates under all circumstances.
In this respect, Russia may force Armenia to accept certain fundamental principles which are not subject to revision.
If we recall the recent statements by Western diplomats and experts, their meaning was limited to the following - 2010 does not bode anything substantive and specific in terms of resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But it seems to me that they more than just play up to the Armenian side encouraging it to be intractable.
In this sense, Armenia should realize that the room for maneuvering is shrinking rapidly and state of affairs in the Armenian-Turkish negotiations clearly points to this.
Today all parties, forces and organizations interested in those processes understand that the main problem for the South Caucasus is Armenia's position which blocks all possible solutions.
Russia should think about it most of all forcing Armenia to take steps to meet the neighbors.
Before the next round of Karabakh talks in Sochi, Armenian Foreign Minister said he did not expect progress in resolving the conflict this year. In your opinion, what is the reason for Armenia’s such a pessimistic approach towards the Karabakh negotiations?It is obvious that Russia attempts to take leadership in the process of settling the Karabakh crisis. Of course, Western countries cannot accept this unconditionally because they are trying to gain some advantages for Armenia in the context of regional isolation, trying to alienate it from Russia's orbit. But does it work? I think it does not.
With regard to the statement that the year 2010 does not promise any prospect, this is debatable. Pessimists are trying to remove the ground from under our feet. But Azerbaijan has already had it say. In this case, Yerevan have something to say.
Therefore, Armenian diplomats, the Diaspora, some groups in the U.S., Europe, in short, lobbyists are trying to save the situation with "doing nothing" so that Armenia will save face.
Regarding Azerbaijan's position, it have a more favorable position. It has had it say, and stands firmly on his.
Maybe, Armenia considers it a priority first to deal with the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, which has reached an impasse, and only then address the Karabakh issue?They are very hopeful of that. The fact that they pushed the protocols through the Constitutional Court, and then it became known that they cheated Turkey and all the mediators, refusing to recognize the Kars Treaty confirms Armenia’s foreign policy is mainly focused on territorial claims to the neighbors. Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations have stalled this way.
Turkey had a desire to break the deadlock in the reconciliation process, but in a situation when Armenia is disingenuous and engaged is a dirty game, Ankara had to look around.
In this situation, all points to one thing - the problem lies with Armenia itself. How hard it tries to make outside forces to see the reason, its position in solving regional problems deserves criticism.
Following the talks in Sochi, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a statement in which he spoke of the preamble to the document on Karabakh. What is the preamble? What it may imply?I think that the preamble is the same basic principles that seem to have been agreed, and now again have to dealt with.
There are basic principles and problems in the Karabakh issue which must be dealt with by conflicting sides themselves. I think that the preamble implies thesis of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories and then elaboration of status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
And Armenia insists that the initial part of the document would be the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and then everything else. All those who follow the process, remember Sisyphus ...
N. Abdullayeva