“Recognize or not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh” was the motto of a seminar organized by the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS). Almost all the participants, ACNIS experts and Heritage Party members, consider the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence by Armenia as the only right way of the situation.

The ACNIS expert Manvel Sargsyan called for following the example of Turkey and Russia, which recognized the independence of Cyprus and Abkhazia, as well as South Ossetia, respectively. “What is the benefit of recognition and why it is so necessary in the case of Karabakh? The recognition immediately changes the essence of negotiations – it is not the territory’s status, but the related issues that become a subject of negotiations. So if Armenia recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, its status will no longer be the central problem,” the expert said. The OSCE Minsk Group and its settlement strategy are not in line with official Yerevan’s statements. “First, Nagorno-Karabakh does not act as negotiator within the OSCE Minsk Group format. The OSCE Minsk Group’s strategy implies that Nagorno-Karabakh’s status must be determined within the OSCE Minsk Group itself. In its turn, official Yerevan repeatedly states Nagorno-Karabakh’s status is not an issue to be discussed for the Armenian side, as Nagorno-Karabakh can never be part of Azerbaijan again. Azerbaijan, for its part, states Nagorno-Karabakh’s status can only be determined within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Nonetheless, the negotiations are going on and are unlikely to produce any results,” the expert said. On the other hand, he underlined the need for further negotiations.

The expert stressed that, along with the negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan is developing other processes within international agencies. Moreover, Azerbaijan is succeeding, evidence thereof being numerous international resolutions containing wordings in Azerbaijan’s favor. “Moreover, Azerbaijan succeeded in getting Turkey involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Baku’s latest strategy of military blackmail is producing results in the international arena as well,” the expert said.

So, he said, Armenia should develop a process of recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence along with the OSCE Minsk Group process. “This is the only right decision, as the status quo may change any moment - as external forces will – while time is on Azerbaijan’s side. But if the Armenian authorities are unable to find a way out of the current situation, the people must find it and force the authorities to follow it,” the expert said.

 

The Heritage Party drafted and introduced a bill on recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia. However, almost all the parliamentary forces object to the bill as an untimely and inadvisable one.