Politics 14:59 18/08/2016

Frank Engel: Azerbaijan Must Accept its Loss; Recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the Only Solution

The recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the only reasonable solution to the Karabakh conflict; if there were any other solution it would have already been found within 25 years of negotiations… As for the territories, there is one very simple logic here: if you lose a war, then mostly territories are gone as well. As far as I recall, it was Azerbaijan that insisted on the war in early 1990s and not anybody else, and they lost it”, – said Frank Engel, Member of the European Parliament (Luxembourg) in an interview with Nvard Chalikyan of Panorama.am, commenting on the current realities of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  

Mr. Engel believes that one of the main reasons for the lack of the solution of the conflict is not the Minsk Group (one of the tasks of which is to formulate avenues for solution) but the current stance of Azerbaijan and the fact that the compromise solution seems to be far from reality.

“The problem with the avenues of solution is that any scenario other than ‘everything goes to Azerbaijan’ is not going to be accepted by Azerbaijan. And Nagorno-Karabakh will never accept being ruled by Azerbaijan again – this is not only applicable to Karabakh, but it applies to the present-day NKR (11,4 sq km) which is something else than it was in 1990s…”, – said the MEP. 

Mr. Engel doesn’t find it at all probable that the NKR could go back to the borders of the Autonomous Oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh (NKAO) as it was in the Soviet Union.

“I understand perfectly that the people of Karabakh, given the circumstances, would not be in the position to accept being encircled by Azerbaijan againthis is a security issue for them. Under those circumstances there is really not very much else that we need to talk about. There are facts in life that one simply has to accept, and Karabakh is one of those facts”, – said the MEP, emphasizing that Azerbaijan has to accept that it has lost the war.

Commenting on the response of the EU and other third parties to the 4-day war in April, which often drew a false equation sign between the aggressor Azerbaijan and the Armenian side instead of directly condemning Azerbaijan’s attack, Mr. Engel said that this most probably will remain the formal rhetoric for quite some time. According to him this is because there are other similar conflicts such as Ukraine, South Ossetia and Abkhasia and they should try to keep a consistent approach to all these conflicts.

To the question as to whether there will be a stronger international reaction in case the Azeris (who want to completely wipe the Armenians from the region, unlike Georgians in the case of the Abkhaz or Ossetians) tomorrow attack Karabakh and Stepanakert, Mr. Engel answered,

“I’m afraid until that happens nothing is going to change, regrettably… I believe if we saw that April events were repeated any time soon then people would start moving, but it’s extremely sad and it’s extremely cynical in fact to have to wait for another large-scale attack for people to get together and say that something is wrong there.”      

For preventing future Azeri aggression the MEP particularly emphasized the importance of the OSCE ceasefire monitoring mechanisms, noting that Azerbaijan has repeatedly been rejecting these mechanisms because they knew they would be caught if these were in place. “I am relatively convinced that if we use all the technological means at our disposal we will quickly find out who aggresses here and who doesn’t”, – he added, saying that the EU should strongly push for the implementation of the observation mechanism and to make it clear that who doesn’t accept this will be suffering consequences.

Everyone knows that there is only one party (Azerbaijan) that has an objective interest in violating the ceasefire, but this can only be sunk into the consciousness of European political decision-makers if there is objective verification and if it becomes clear that the shots come from one side only”, – he said.  

The MEP also noted that in the EU there is a problem of awareness of what Azerbaijan is and how Azerbaijan functions – this knowledge is not sufficiently developed in European political institutions including among those who indulge in foreign policy, although EU does hold debates on Azerbaijan’s deplorable human rights situation which makes Azerbaijan highly nervous. 

 “Azerbaijan is basically a kleptocratic dictatorship, which has willingly and knowingly withheld redistribution and development from its people just to keep them alert to getting Karabakh back. That is something which in the same density and intensity is not to be found elsewhere. This means that we would really have to kneel on Azerbaijan in principle in order to tell them that at some point the fun is over and if ever a war of aggression took place on a larger scale than what we have seen, there would be massive retributions directed at the aggressor”, – said Frank Engel.

Mr. Engel also believes that the current regime in Azerbaijan needs to sustain the Karabakh conflict in order to stay in power.

“If the Karabakh issue disappeared from Azeri politics the current regime would break down. Then there would be nothing left for the Aliyev family to hold on to, and people would start demanding fair distribution of oil revenues, asking why there is no decent housing, no freedom of opinion and no nothing. So they desperately need the Karabakh conflict to continue in order to sustain themselves in power. And this concludes the circle – this is why they will never accept compromise”, – he said. 

Mr. Engel believes that the Karabakh conflict is a part of a bigger picture which includes also Turkey and that this issue should be brought on the EU-Turkey agenda.

“If I hear Erdogan saying ‘we will stand by Azerbaijan until the end’, that tells me two things – first of all, nothing is done in Baku which Ankara isn’t aware of and secondly, ‘until the end’ means something other than signing a peace treaty. We would be well advised to put this on our Turkish agenda as well”, – he said adding that in this context it is also important that Turkey comes to terms with its past and recognizes the Armenian Genocide as well as refrains from being equated with Azerbaijan.

“Turkey must recognize at the end of the day that it is ridiculing itself if it descends to the same league and to the same level as Azerbaijan. This cannot be the model that Turkey would want to embrace”, – said Frank Engel.

 

Interview by Nvard Chalikyan  



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:15
Armenian authorities in no rush to leave EAEU, says senior Russian MP
The Armenian authorities will hardly rush to leave the Eurasian Union (EAEU), claims Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin, the deputy chairman of the...
16:45
It's been the hardest year of my life, Prince William says
The Prince of Wales has described the past year as the "hardest year" of his life. Speaking to reporters at the end of his visit...
16:36
Armenia inclined towards cooperation with Russia, former PM says
Armenia is inclined towards cooperation with Russia, former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said at the Valdai Club debates on Friday. When...
16:14
Dozens of French politicians call for boycott of COP29, demand release of Armenian hostages
Around three dozen French politicians have urged the French government to boycott the upcoming COP29 UN climate summit in Baku and demanded the...
15:34
Yerevan court allows cleric to visit Armen Ashotyan
A Yerevan court on Friday allowed Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan to visit opposition politician Armen Ashotyan who is currently under house...
15:12
Serzh Sargsyan trial judge to challenge his dismissal in ECHR
Judge Vahe Misakyan, who acquitted former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan earlier this year, plans to challenge his dismissal in the European...
14:36
Conference League: Chelsea defeats FC Noah 8-0
FC Noah suffered a crushing 0-8 defeat to Chelsea in the Conference League on Thursday.  "A tough loss in London....
14:14
Yerevan theater employees stage sit-in
Employees of Yerevan’s Goy Theater on Thursday resumed a sit-in outside the Gabriel Sundukyan State Academic Theater, demanding the...
13:33
Trump's second term will be different, expert says
Donald Trump's second presidency will look nothing like the first, political analyst Suren Sargsyan claims. “Times and realities...
12:46
Israeli football fans attacked in Amsterdam
Assailants attacked Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam on Thursday, with the Dutch prime minister vowing those responsible would be “tracked...
12:34
Armenia's Gyumri heading for snap elections
Snap municipal elections will be held in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri. In a statement on Friday, Knarik Harutyunyan, the...
12:05
Reducing sugar in first 1,000 days of life may protect against chronic diseases, study says
A study published on Friday in the journal Science found that reducing sugar in the first 1,000 days after conception – through...
11:30
Armenian sends 20 players to European Individual Chess Championship
The European Individual Chess Championship 2024 is being held in Petrovac, Montenegro from 7-20 November. The championship is an...
11:15
Iran to develop relations with neighbors regardless of US election results, leader says
Iran plans to expand partnership with neighboring and Islamic countries regardless of whom America elected as its new leader, TASS...
11:00
Pashinyan, Macron meet in Budapest
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Budapest on Thursday. The meeting was held on the...
17:03
Senator Jadot urges French government to boycott COP29 in Baku
French Senator Yannick Jadot has called on the French government to boycott the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku. “COP29...
16:32
Deputy FM: Armenia hopes for full normalization with Turkey
Armenia hopes for full normalization of relations with Turkey, including the opening of their shared border, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan...
16:03
Analyst: Trump and Biden only US presidents who held no meetings with Pashinyan
Donald Trump and Joe Biden have become the only U.S. presidents who have held no meetings or phone calls with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol...
15:31
Temperatures to rise in Armenia next week
Clear weather is expected in all parts of Armenia on Thursday and in the next few days. The capital Yerevan will also see rainless...
15:14
Russia sees preconditions for improvement of South Caucasus situation
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu says that Moscow sees prerequisites for improvement of the situation in the South...
14:36
Armenia to take €236 million loan from EIB for North-South road construction
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending €236 million to Armenia to finance the construction of the Sisian-Kajaran road. The...
14:06
Armenia seeks to intensify talks with Azerbaijan, deputy FM says
Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan says that Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yet finally agreed on all terms in the bilateral peace treaty....
13:30
US pushing Armenia to 'suicide', Russian intelligence says
The US is determined to force Armenia down an anti-Russian path and towards “national suicide,” the Russian Foreign Intelligence...
13:00
Turkey's Erdogan visits Budapest for EPC summit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan on Wednesday travelled to Budapest, Hungary, to attend the fifth summit of the...
12:36
Armenian government approves Mesrop Mesropyan's candidacy for PSRC head
The Armenian government on Thursday approved the candidacy of Mesrop Mesropyan as the new head of the Public Services Regulatory Commission...
12:08
Opposition MP: Armenian leadership has illusions about normalization with Turkey
Armenia’s authorities have illusions about building relations with Turkey, a country whose leader called Azerbaijani victory in the 2020...
11:38
15 cutting-edge Apple devices for Byblos Bank Armenia Mastercard Digital cardholders
Byblos Bank Armenia, in partnership with Mastercard, has launched a new campaign featuring a giveaway of 5 iPhone 16 Pros, 5 Apple Watch SE (2nd...
11:33
Lawmakers express grave concerns about U.S. participation in COP29 in Baku
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), along with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL),...
11:15
Trump's election victory likely upends all criminal cases against him
Donald Trump's presidential victory is also a win as he seeks to resolve his four criminal indictments. His win may largely free Trump...
11:00
Leopard again caught on camera in Armenia's Zangezur Biosphere Complex
A female leopard, named Misty, has again been caught on camera in Armenia's Zangezur Biosphere Complex, WWF Armenia reported....

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}