Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

The visit of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to Baku on October 22 leads to the conclusion that the negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh problem has anew revived.

After the two meetings in May and June 2016, which followed the April clashes between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, the solution of the conflict was somehow frozen. In this context the recent visit of James Warlick, Igor Popov, Pierre Andrieu and the Special Representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk to Azerbaijan seems to restore the peace process over the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

Since the beginning of the conflict in late 80's, both Azerbaijani side and OSCE MG have been committed to the international law, including four UN Security Council resolutions, providing for immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. For over two decades, Azerbaijan and its 9.5-million population have been waiting, and still wait for restoration of this historical justice.

In this regard, James Warlick, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE MG, has made a quite fair statement. “There will be no agreement without the return of occupied territories of Azerbaijan, or without talks on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,” he stressed at a press conference in Baku on October 22. He also mentioned that the current status quo is unstable and there are many elements of solution to the conflict on the negotiating table.

Azerbaijan has numerously stated its readiness to discuss the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. “There can be a compromise on the issues of local self-government of the Nagorno-Karabakh, and in the future, if we agree, it can be an autonomous republic,” President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has recently told Sputnik news agency. Meanwhile, he firmly stated that there can be no compromise on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Turkey also expressed its view on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. “Withdrawal of the Armenian troops from at least five regions of the occupied Azerbaijani territories continues to be debated,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed while addressing the PACE session on October 12, adding that if such steps are taken, Turkey will be ready to support any solution that is supported by Azerbaijan.

However, staying committed to its unconstructive policy, Armenia continues occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory. Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million out of then 7.3-million population of Azerbaijan were evicted from their houses in Nagorno-Karabakh. Now they have to live a refugee life, dreaming of their return to native lands.

Moreover, the Armenian government is strongly against a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh. Last meeting between the communities was held seven years ago, in 2009. Since then, such initiatives have stalled because of the reluctance of Armenian side. By this inaction, Armenia in fact denies the right of the Azerbaijani community to return to their historic lands. “If the Armenians will meet with the Azerbaijani population, the reconciliation is possible, but the Armenian authorities do not want this,” Bayram Safarov, the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh has recently stressed.

The occupation of Azerbaijani lands harms Armenia itself – due to its policy, the country cannot benefit from the international projects. If that continues, Armenia will be even more ignored by its neighbors. Moreover, this also hinders a deeper economic cooperation between the countries of the region. If Armenia is interested in the prosperity of Karabakh, it must stop the occupation, withdraw the troops, and then Baku will do everything possible to develop the region in the interests of all nations living there.

“Children of both countries should live in peace and it is necessary to achieve this through peaceful negotiations,” Warlick said in Baku.

Thus, to ensure safety and prosperity in the region, to let the Azerbaijani and Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh live a decent life, international mediators, through rejecting double standards and staying committed to international law, should bring the justice in the region.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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