The negotiation process on the Karabakh issue is extremely difficult. The Armenian side insists on recognizing the actual situation, according to which Karabakh de facto is a self-proclaimed republic. This is rejected categorically by Azerbaijan, which is legitimately upholding its territorial integrity. Nevertheless, the history of the Karabakh negotiation process knows the time when the meetings of the heads of state took place at a high confidence level.
In the second half of the 1990s, the parties were more than ever close to concluding an agreement and putting an end to the contradictions. The name of Heydar Aliyev, an outstanding politician and third president of Azerbaijan, was linked with this process, as he was convinced that it was possible to settle the Karabakh conflict only by the peaceful means.
As it is well-known that the best war is the one that was prevented. The decision of General Secretary Gorbachev to resign Heydar Aliyev in 1987 was one of his most short-sighted decisions, as Aliyev had vast experience in governing the state, which the leaders of Azerbaijan of that time did not have. The Karabakh conflict could be prevented if Heydar Aliyev returned to power in Azerbaijan earlier. Nevertheless, the war and the subsequent occupation of Azerbaijani regions did not stop him in his striving to restore the territorial integrity of the republic and overcome the intercommunal catastrophe.
In 1996-1997, the international mediators confirmed the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, seeking to provide the highest level of self-government for Karabakh Armenians. However, the problem was not solved after the Bishkek Protocol was signed. It became obvious that the problem required an active bilateral cooperation, which was demonstrated after 1998 when Heydar Aliyev was re-elected as the president of Azerbaijan. Since spring of 1999, Aliev has repeatedly met with the president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.
The Washington meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan demonstrated that both leaders found a basis for mutual understanding. Both were comfortable with the format of the confidential negotiations at the highest level, it was convenient for Aliyev to communicate with Kocharyan, who himself was a native of Karabakh. Kocharyan even called Aliyev his teacher, although Aliev, complaining of the military escalation of the problem, noticed that Kocharyan was apparently his poor student. Since the first official meeting, the situation on the demarcation line remained calm. Azerbaijan and Armenia have no other way out - only to solve these problems step by step. This aspiration could be traced during the initiative meetings in Washington, Paris, Key West (Florida, USA). Aliyev's position was that the ceasefire regime should be maintained, moreover, it was important to convince the opponents that the restoration of the territorial integrity did not imply any discriminatory policy towards the Armenian community of Karabakh.
Heydar Aliyev tried to reduce the level of tension, demonstrating respect for the common history and cohabitation of Armenians and Azerbaijanis. One of the brightest bilateral meetings was the Aliyev and Kocharian summit on October 11, 1998, in the village of Sadarak on the border between Nakhichevan and Armenia.
The nature of the meeting symbolized Heydar Aliyev's desire to restore the relations with Armenia, thereby preventing a crisis of perception between two peoples. The need for mutual concessions was recognized, which, incidentally, could provoke the critical consequences for the leadership of both republics. The talks resembled a meeting of old acquaintances, whose peoples had previously walked together and stood side by side, solving common problems.
Everyone who lives today in Armenia and remembers the negotiations of 1998-2003, talk about that period as a particularly productive one. Many associate that time with the personality of Heydar Aliyev, thanks to who the solution of the Karabakh problem seemed to be just around the corner. The current authorities of both countries should continue the policy of Heydar Aliyev, not transferring the burden of war to the subsequent generations, as there is nothing to expect from the further escalation except hatred and military clashes. Taking into account the fact that Azerbaijan is now managed by the successor of Heydar Aliyev’s policy, his son Ilham Aliyev, and Armen Sarkisyan who cherishes the European values became the president of Armenia, the peoples of both countries are looking at the settlement process with the great hope.
