Does Armenia need negotiations?

The ever more frequent calls from the Armenian political elite lately
about recognizing the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh call into doubt
whether Yerevan needs the peace process to continue. Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan said on September 21 that Armenia has taken a
hard way but the only right way, which will lead to the independence
of Nagorno-Karabakh. In July the UN International Court made a
consultative decision on Kosovo, demonstrating that the right of
peoples for self-determination cannot be subordinated to any other
principle, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian said
at the meeting with his Kosovan counterpart Skender Hyseni.

The International Court in the Hague made that decision on July 22. It
did not find any international law forbidding proclamations of
independence. This is when Armenian political figures stepped up their
efforts for Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence. The bill on recognizing
the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, prepared by the ‘Heritage’
party, will be presented at the next parliamentary session in October,
Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Ovik Abramyan said, Mediamax
reports.

Experts believe that such declarations from the Armenian side
complicate the negotiation process. Such declarations are most likely
made due to failures in normalizing relations with Turkey, lack of
progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and doubts about the
legitimacy of the president’s power, forcing his group to find topics
to improve their image.

Nevertheless, this does not free the authorities from responsibility
for the failures in the negotiation process. Yerevan needs to prepare
its people for compromise. Promoting the independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh deprives the population of hopes for friendly
relations with Baku and Ankara. It means that Armenia will be in
economic isolation and with a closed border for a long time.

On the one hand, Armenia continues the negotiation process, but, on
the other hand, it is making declarations that could ruin negotiation
efforts. Azerbaijan is devoted to territorial unity, supported by the
international community. Armenian calls for the independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh could ruin the image of Yerevan.
Elmira Tariverdiyeva, Baku. Exclusively for VK