By Andrey Petrov, Moscow, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The trial of Azerbaijani citizens Dilgam Askerov and Shakhbaz Guliyev, caught trespassing in Nagorno-Karabakh, has become the final event in the conflict region in 2014. Together with Gasan Gasanov, they crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line in July, risking their lives to allegedly visit their native lands in the Kalbajar District. Gasanov was shot by the Armenian military, the other two trespassers were detained.
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan had trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Wales and with French president Francois Hollande in Paris. The latter was highlighted for the positive impressions left after the negotiations. However, the peace process went downhill 10 days later, when the Azerbaijani military shot down an Armenian helicopter involved in military drills in the conflict zone. The trial of Askerov and Guliyev took place in the conflict zone, making their extradition impossible.
Asim Mollazadeh, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament and political analyst, emphasized that 2014 had not been characterized by any progress in the peace process. In his words, Armenia continued imitating a negotiation process, it is unprepared to implement the UNSC resolution and leave the occupied territories. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, according to Mollazadeh, did nothing to bring the sides any closer to peace.
The lawmaker reminded that the international community could influence the situation with more than declarations. He noted that the U.S. had passed many sanctions against Russia over Crimea and Ukraine and had done little to stop Armenian occupation.
Alexander Markarov, the director of the Armenian office of the Institute of CIS Countries, opined that positive moments throughout the year had been ruined by rising tensions and the helicopter showdown in November. He reminded that the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers had not met at a session of their OSCE counterparts at the last session in Basel.
According to Markarov, next year will be dedicated to searching for alternative solutions, following existing documents, taking into account the contrary positions. The expert predicts only small progressive steps in the peace process next year.
