Epress.am News from Armenia
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's negotiations need to be more open and transparent, said a joint Declaration signed between former Ambassador of the President of the Republic of Armenia on Special Missions 1992-95 Davit Shahnazaryan and former Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and the head of Presidential Secretariat 1993-99 Eldar Namazov on November 3, in Helsinki, Finland. The joint Declaration was supported by a group of Armenian and Azerbaijani political experts and activists.
“Unfortunately, currently, we have a deadlocked situation in the official negotiation process,” states the Declaration, it boldly continues “The current status quo can not continue indefinitely and the efforts to “freeze of the situation” do not work: people are dying from the shooting that takes place almost every day, the area of military incidents is expanding, the arms race is increasing between the conflict sides, while the rhetoric on government and public level is becoming more radical.”
The statement claims that the status quo is leading to a “new dangerous trend in post-Soviet space” which threatens Europe's security, as well as the “independence and sovereignty of our countries.”
The two political figures state that they support the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair Ambassador James Warlick's initiative called “Nagorno-Karabakh: The Keys to a Settlement” released on May 7, 2014 and the joint statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on May 12, 2014.
They believe that the negotiation process in regards to the conflict's resolution should be open and transparent to both societies and call for an international forum with government and civil society representatives, together with international organizations, to support the peace process and its practical implementation.
The use of international peacekeeping forces are supported, however, they emphasize that the respective states of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and neighboring countries of the conflicting sides should be excluded from forming the peacekeeping forces. The international mediation should not include “geopolitical interests,” like “the struggle for spheres of influence and domination over the region.”
They statement also calls for an urgent halt in offensive weapons sales, stating that the only possible resolution can be when both sides are ready for mutual compromise, with a rejection of maximalist demands and preconditions, and ready to develop a perception of shared national interests.
The Declaration is supported by: Arzu Abdullayeva, Chair of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Azerbaijan, holder of Olof Palme Piece Prize, winner of EU and US government Marshall Award, Karen Ohanjanyan, Coordinator of the Nagorno Karabakh Committee “Helsinki Initiative-92”, Natalya Martirosyan, Chair of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Armenia, Ali Abasov, Professor, political analyst, Zardusht Alizadeh, Doctor of philosophy, political analyst, Aghasi Yenokyan, Director of the Armenian Center for political and international relations, Leyla Alieva, Center for National and International Studies, political analyst, Haykak Arshamyan, Regional Studies Center, historian, political analyst.