Expert: 'Baku disappointed in OSCE mediation format'

"I cannot say the visit of the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zaner was expected in Baku with great hopes," Moscow State University History Department head and Trend Expert Council member Alexei Vlasov said.

"In principle, the rhetoric of the OSCE on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is well known. Just as the positions of the parties in question of the prospects for settlement of this protracted conflict," Vlasov told Trend.

Because, according to an expert, Zaner limited with two main theses in a public part of communication with journalists: first, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a greater threat to the region, and second, the negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict.

The Azerbaijani side also made statements in the usual manner, at least there wasn't any essentially new rhetoric from Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov during the briefing, he said.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, referring to recent incidents that led to the death of both the Azerbaijani and the Armenian soldiers, said that in his opinion, the problem is not in a lack of effective
mechanisms for monitoring by international observers, Vlasov said.

He noted that the question is just secondary to the main point - the fact of the unresolved status of Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

"The problem is not in the mechanism, but in the presence of the Armenian armed forces on Azerbaijan's territory. If these troops are withdrawn, there won't be problems of snipers, no need for the mechanism, no armed incidents," the minister said.

Vlasov said this circumstance alone shows the frustration of Baku over prospects of mediation in the format of the OSCE, as during the time which elapsed since the cease-fire in the mid 90s, no progress has taken place in addressing the so-called frozen conflicts.

"Obviously, the Italian diplomat realizes that, despite the persistence of relative peace, the internal tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh problem continue to grow. Most likely, this circumstance has prompted Lamberto Zannier to repeatedly emphasize that the status quo can not be perceived as a solution to the problem," the expert said.

This, of course, is a true assessment, to which politicians in Moscow, Washington and Brussels, can subscribe, Vlasov said.

"But what's next? Where is the key that will help representatives of intermediaries to transfer the dialogue from phase "it's good that we are talking, not fighting" to phase of making real decisions. Alas, we must be realistic and admit that at present there is no miracle recipe and no matter what diplomatic phrases are used to describe the outcome of the South Caucasus trip of Mr Zanera, in fact, they can be reduced to a single proverb about a lean compromise and a fat lawsuit," Vlasov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/