The Armenian Investigations Program of the Michigan University and program leader, Gerard Lebardian arranged discussions on subject “The way of Karabakh after Kosovo”. Armenian origin expert from Russia, Antranik Migranian stated speaking at the seminar that initially Russia hadn’t intend to recognize Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia, APA US bureau informs. “But the sharp statements of Mikhail Saakashvili followed by the August events forced official Moscow to take radical steps”. According to him, official Washington played its role in the development of those events as well. According to A.Margarian’s conclusion, military operations launched by the US over the past 15 years in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan shattered the international law system established after the World War II. As a result, Russia didn’t consider it a fault to use arms in the solution of some foreign conflicts.
A.Miqranian, touching upon Kosovo’s independence, said that the statements of Western politicians not to regard Kosovo as a precedent for other conflicts don’t reflect the reality. “If you compare the Kosovo conflict with the relations between Tbilisi and Sukhumi, Tbilisi and Tskhinvali or Baku and Stepanakert (Khankendy), you won’t find any difference”.
On the other hand, Migranian stated that the borders were artificially marked by the communist regime in the post USSR period and it was against the will of the people living in that country. “For that reason Nagorno-Karabakh has the right of self-determination”.
But Elin Suleymanov, the consul general of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles stated that A.Migranian’s thought was false. “Kosovo isn’t a precedent for the conflict in our region, especially for Nagorno-Karabakh. First, the West has determined Kosovo’s fate, but in the Armenian-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict neither the USA, nor Russia or leading European countries have a decisive vote.
Second, in the Kosovo conflict neighboring Albany didn’t occupy Kosovo and Albanian current political leaders didn’t come from Kosovo. However, Armenia was represented in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in all forms and is recognized as a conflict party by the international community.
Third, after the operations, held by the NATO in the region, Kosovo was ruled by the international organizations for a long time and this gave legitimacy to Kosovo.
Fourth, in Kosovo the military crimes against local people were committed by official Belgrade, but in Karabakh the military crimes were committed by neighboring Armenia. For instance, Armenians committed the crime against humanity in Khojaly”.
E.Suleymanov said it is not correct to base on the law of the post Soviet Parliament on the self-determination right. Because neither Nagorno-Karabakh nor other separatist regimes appealed to corresponding bodies to grant them independence according to that law.
The consul general stated that Azerbaijanis want to live in peace with Armenians and they positively approach to the use of the country’s economic opportunities by Armenians – citizens of Azerbaijan as well. But the consul general emphasized that the conflict should be settled only within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity for that.
APA
