The Karabakh conflict through the prism of the Azerbaijani presidential elections

By Vestnik Kavkaza

Yesterday, the Central Election Committee of Azerbaijan finished counting of votes from all polling stations at the presidential elections. According to the CEC, current President Ilham Aliyev gained 84.55%. The majority of experts believe that Aliyev’s victory will be beneficial not only for Azerbaijan, but also for the whole region, even though old challenges remain, first of all, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

Alexei Vlasov , editor-in- chief of Vestnik Kavkaza, thinks that “the key from resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lies either in Baku or Yerevan. So, the position of the Azerbaijani side only cannot eliminate all disagreements existing between the parties. Despite the adoption of the Madrid Principles and the corrected Madrid Principles, as well as meetings between Dmitry Medvedev, Ilham Aliyev, and Serge Sargsyan, the sides didn’t advance in settlement and reduction of tension in the conflict area. On the other hand, legitimacy which is confirmed by the presidential elections in Azerbaijan gives an opportunity to Ilham Aliyev to focus his efforts at the international arena and get things moving in the process together with the Minsk Group.”

According to Alexander Dzasokhov, the former president of North Ossetia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, deputy chairman of the Russian Commission on UNESCO Affairs, “Russia has been and remains a mediator in the settlement. Even if there is no desired results and progress, it is very important that both Baku and Yerevan accepts Russian mediation. There were 11 meetings. Probably all participants thought that results would appear earlier, but both sides of the conflict take the mediating role of Russia, and it is very important for moving on in political settlement. If we look at other conflicting regions, Georgian-South Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhazian directions, we should do justice Moscow, Baku, and Yerevan have stepped aside the most dangerous scenario for the difficult conflict wouldn’t turn into even more difficult one.”

Ismail Agakishiyev, vice-president of the union of companies Consulting-Analysis-PR, associate professor of MSU, recalled Professor Preobrazhensky, a character by Bulgakov, who thought that “a break-up is heads”: “When the nightmare in people’s heads comes to an end, they will understand that resolution of the Karabakh problem is beneficial to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and the U.S. When the world realizes that it is beneficial not only to Armenia and Azerbaijan, the problem will be settled.

Nobody profits from a continuation of the conflict, Russia loses money by helping Armenia. People leave Armenia because the country is economically isolated and people can’t find jobs. Azerbaijan had to accept a million of refugees. These people want to come back home. And paradox is that other forces which are interested in the status quo ignore the natural desire.

We should remember that 20% of the Azerbaijani territory is occupied. We speak about Nagorno-Karabakh, but don’t speak about eight regions which are not Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan proposed settlement of the problem in 2005 and 2007. There is no infrastructure, residential areas are ruined. Azerbaijan was ready to invest millions into reconstruction of the territories. At the same time Azerbaijan has never stated and will never demand that the territories should be mononational.”

According to Agakishiyev, “of course we want to settle the conflict peacefully, but it is not only a territorial issue, but a national issue. Azerbaijan will go all the way to solve the problem, there is no other variant for Baku.”