The OSCE field assessment mission has started its operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The co-chairmen of Minsk Group who head the mission - Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France, Ambassador Igor Popov of the Russian Federation and Ambassador Robert Bradtke of the United States and Andjey Kasprshik, representative of current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office – have had meetings with the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents prior to the field mission. Rasin Masabekov, independent Azerbaijani political expert, tells VK about the main tasks of the ongoing OSCE mission.
- Could you please comment on the possible consequences of the assessment mission operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region?
- The commission should state facts. And the fact is that Armenia carries on a resettlement policy, prohibited by international law. The commission should investigate this. Secondly, Armenians have literally plundered Azerbaijani property during all these years, and that is not hard to notice. Some villages and towns are totally destroyed. We have information that Armenian authorities cut down forests. It is vital that the international commission records all these horrific abuses before the liberation of the territories.
- And how can the results of the mission affect the peace talks?
- Right now Armenia sabotages the talks, refusing to accept the Madrid principles. I think that these results will be another forceful argument demonstrating the destructiveness of the Armenian position. They will prove that Armenia exploits the territories and that’s the reason why Armenian troops are still there.
- How do you think the Armenian side will react to the results?
- There will be a lot of talk. But the important thing is what the Minsk Group and the international community say as Armenia totally depends on their position.
- There exist media reports of a future meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in the framework of the Astana OSCE summit. Is this meeting possible?
- It depends on the state of talks before the summit. I think that all efforts and resources will be put to work to obtain some progress. If not, OSCE would have to make a hard choice: whether to admit its failure as a mediator, or to name the side that hampers the talks. In this case Azerbaijan will have to resign the futile international peace efforts and turn to other possibilities, force use included.
- Do you think that it is possible for Azerbaijan to apply military force in the matter?
- I think that if state has an army and spends 2 billion dollars for military purposes a year – that is not for parades. If the army is not to be used to liberate the country’s occupied territories, I don’t see any application for it at all.
- How do you estimate the mediatory role of Russia and President Medvedev personally?
- I think that Russian efforts are still futile, as well as the efforts of USA and France. Azerbaijani officials are now sure that all these activities are aimed at keeping the status-quo, totally inacceptable for Baku. Armenia occupied Azerbaijani territories with Azerbaijani population 7 times bigger than the Armenian. And this situation is being preserved by the mediatory efforts of Russia, USA and France. So I see no success of their mediatory activity.
Interview by Vsevolod Veselov. Exclusively for VK
