Nagorno-Karabakh: heavy-weight negotiators needed

The ongoing negotiations over a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue can be much more productive if more influential politicians took part in the search for consensus. Dr. Svante Cornell, Director of the Institute for Security and Development Policy, one of the leading experts on Asia-Caucasus issues, believes that this is the least the United States could do to draw more world attention to this problem.

“I would say” – stressed Dr. Cornell – “that one quick thing to do, will be to increase the level of seniority of the diplomats involved in these group negotiations. There is nothing wrong with midlevel diplomats or midlevel ambassadors who are engaged in this. They are serious people. But the problem is that in this type of geopolitically laden conflict you have to have a much higher level of seniority and the personalities of the negotiators. They have to have a direct access to their state leaders and their foreign ministers and secretaries of state. We don’t have it today. That would be one thing by which the United States could easily signal that we are now taking this conflict seriously”.

Another very important element for a successful outcome of the negotiations would be a more detailed planning. If politicians had a clear vision of what lies ahead of them, they would be more likely to look for a consensus.

“The second issue would be to start planning for post-conflict reconstruction. And the more you plan for the day after the agreement has been signed, the more likely that the conflicting parties take the negotiating process seriously”, - said Dr. Cornell.