OSCE summit in Astana ends without substantial results.
At the OSCE summit, the heads of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries (Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Francois Fillon, secretary of state Hillary Clinton, as well as the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan) adopted a joint declaration. The statement emphasized the need for stronger efforts over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.
However, the presidents didn't meet at the summit. This scenario was likely from the start, due to the general negative background of the summit. Shortly before the summit, Serzh Sargsyan, accompanied by Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian and senior officers, visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories. He attended military manoeuvres there. Walking along rows of soldiers, Sargsyan made a speech about Armenia being prepared for a war for Nagorno-Karabakh's independence. At the summit, the president of Armenia said that Nagorno-Karabakh would never be returned to Azerbaijan.
Ilham Aliyev's speech was also less than friendly. He spoke about Armenian atrocities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and ethnic cleansing in Azerbaijani villages. Aliyev emphasized that Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral historic part of Azerbaijan, and it is accepted as a part of the country at international level.
The summit clearly showed the existing irresolvable contradictions between the parties. It also showed that if the international community does not make efforts to resolve the situation in 2011, the situation may finally come to a head, threatening the security of the entire region.
Author: Elmira Tariverdiyeva, Baku. Exclusively to VK
