We are walking across Uruguay

Information on possible recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh by Uruguay, which was spread by media, hasn’t become a subject of discussion among politicians and political scientists. Probably it is connected not with underestimation of the seriousness of the statement by the Uruguayan foreign minister, Luis Almagro, but with understanding that spreading sensation is considered to be a weapon launched in the information war around Karabakh. The question of independence of the territory is doubtful even for Armenia. Local politicians discuss when the Yerevan authorities should recognize Karabakh’s independence. There are three variants: Armenia will be first; Armenia will do it after some other major state recognizes Karabakh’s independence; Armenia will do it after Azerbaijan recognizes it. At the moment, the chances of two last variants are zero.

Uruguay can hardly be called a major world country. Most of its residents are future generations of settlers from South Europe, Italy and Spain. The Uruguayan economy is aimed at fishing and agricultural exports, and most of th population is employed in the service sphere. As for confessions, less than half the population is Catholic; almost a quarter of the citizens are religious, but don’t belong to followers of any religion; a fifth of the population is atheist; a tenth are protestants; and after them are Armenian-Grigoreans, who are connected with their historic motherland.

The first wave of migration from Armenia to Uruguay began right after the First World War, the second wave took place in 1926. In the early 1930s there were about 4,000 Armenians in Uruguay. Today there are 15,000. They live mostly in Montevideo and are religious. Moreover, along with the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic churches, two Armenian Evangelical churches operate in Uruguay.

Armenian leaders like to visit Montevideo. Right after recognition of Armenian independence by Uruguay, then-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan arrived in the country. Armenian foreign ministers and president Robert Kocharyan have visited Uruguay many times. Only Serge Sargsyan hasn’t yet visited the friendly country. The Uruguayan authorities have not been very interested in Armenia. In 1997 the deputy minister for foreign affairs and in 1998 the chairman of the Lower House of the parliament of Uruguay visited Armenia.

The legal basis of bilateral relations includes only agreements on cooperation in the spheres of culture, agriculture (Uruguay exports meat and seafood to Armenia), and healthcare, as well as on mutual security and encouraging of investment. There is no Armenian embassy in Montevideo. The ambassador’s duties are being fulfilled by the Armenian ambassador in Buenos-Aires, Vladimir Karmirshalyan. Armenia has accredited the Uruguayan ambassador in Moscow, Horhe Alberto Meier Long.

However, the positions of Armenian community in Uruguay are strong. Two years ago a citizen of Uruguay, the well-known businessman Ruben Abraamyan, was appointed to the position of honorary consul of Armenia. Since that time Armenian culture has been promoted in Montevideo.

Nevertheless, it is too bold to say that cultural events can make the Uruguayan authorities take a pro-Armenian position on difficult geopolitical issues. We can remember the process of recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence. The authorities of both republics have close ties with representatives of many countries, but as countries they were recognized only by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Vanuatu.

Many countries doubted thier recognition. Some officials stated there would be recognition soon, others rejected it. After a reshuffling of political management, people who had been ready to recognize Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence, denied their words. For example, the ambassador of Somalia in Russia stated his country's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states, but the general executive of the foreign ministry of Somalia rejected this statement. The president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, urged the recognition of Sukhumi and Tskhinvali when he was a member of the opposition. However, when he became the president he said he only criticized the double standards of Kosovo's recognition. Officials from Belarus, Libya, Bolivia, Morocco, Peru, San-Marino, Syria, Sudan, Ecuador and other countries stated their possible recognition of the former Georgian autonomies.

The position of Yerevan is quite interesting on the issue. “Today the question why Armenia doesn’t recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia is not rare. The answer is clear: the reason is the same for non-recognition of Kosovo several years ago. Armenia cannot recognize any other similar entity before it recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh,” Serge Sargsyan says.

Such difficulties in recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia show that current efforts on promoting the process of international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh are hopeless. Russia supports the former Georgian autonomies both politically and economically. The situation with Nagorno-Karabakh is different. Moscow will perceive negatively the Uruguayan statement, considering Medvedev’s efforts in the sphere of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Ekaterina Tesemnikova. Exclusively to VK