{"id":1160,"date":"2014-12-19T14:51:20","date_gmt":"2014-12-19T14:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2014-12-19T14:58:40","modified_gmt":"2014-12-19T14:58:40","slug":"time-is-on-nobodys-side-azeri-armenian-analysts-discussed-karabakh-in-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=1160","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTime is on nobody\u2019s side,\u201d Azeri, Armenian analysts discussed Karabakh in Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ALAKBAR RAUFOGLU
\ncontact.az<\/em><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON – A group of Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society actors and representatives of the US, European think-tanks gathered in Washington, D.C. Dec. 18, to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the prospects ahead, TURAN\u2019s US correspondent reports.<\/p>\n

The event, orginized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focused on the a framework document on resolving the conflict named \u201cMadrid Principles,\u201d which was put on paper by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in November 2007.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThese basic [Madrid] principles have been the basis for negotiations, but no breakthrough has been made,\u201d Carnegie\u2019s Thomas de Waal, a senior associate on the Caucasus issues, said.<\/p>\n

Laurence Broers from the Conciliation Resources, a London-based NGO, said that Madrid Principles have been \u201clongest lasting Armenia Azerbaijan peace proposal\u201d, which means parties find a lot that is acceptable in them.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, he said, implementations of the principles are far beyond institutional capacities today, underlines governance deficit, which needs addressing.<\/p>\n

In Azerbaijan, many people \u201cdon’t trust Madrid principles,\u201d according to Avaz Hasanov, director of the Baku-based Society for Humanitarian Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelations between the people are not deployed for almost 20 years,\u201d he said. Borders are closed and conflict suffers from lack of confidence building.<\/p>\n

Tabib Huseynov, Caucasus Program Manager at Safe world, explained that for many in both Azerbaijan and Armenia, Madrid Principles are \u201cnot entirely clear; all we know is summery of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lots of misinterpretation around the principles. None of the sides today reject the principles. Baku said it accepts the principles document \u201cin principle\u201d — whatever this means,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If properly modified, Huseynov said, the principles would \u201cfundamentally meet\u201d the interests of both sides, thus they reflects theses of both “package” and “step-by-step” approaches to the conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cMadrid principles are a small hope because we don’t have any other ideas… It has been around for years and implements the core of the problem,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, he said, the sides should accept that the conflict doesn’t have \u201creal political options,\u201d therefore the principles shouldn\u2019t be \u201cpoliticized.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStarting from the final status would be building house without roof,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Laurence Broers added part of the problem is that both sides believe the time is on their side: Azerbaijan relies on its oil while Armenia believes maintaining status-quo is of their interest.<\/p>\n

Another serious problem is that the political leaders sometimes say one thing, and do another as they meet behind the table, the participants said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is on side of risk of escalation,\u201d Broers added. \u201cLonger that negotiations go on, harder a solution becomes.\u201d
\n