The OSCE MG Co-Chairs Should be More Precise in Their Statements

• 07.25.2015, 22:46
• Hermine Mkhitaryan
•  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  Armenia,  NKR,  Analytics

Another visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the region is over and after their meetings both in Yerevan and Baku, during which they made different announcements, a lot of questions rise. What was the main aim of the MG Co-Chairs during this visit? Did they come up with any new suggestion that would ensure progress in the negotiation process? What about the commitments of the sides?

The Co-Chairs' visit to the region was most likely intended to remind the sides about the format, in which they negotiate for the peaceful resolution of Karabakh conflict and for bringing the sides to the negotiation table again. In this regard the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev expressed readiness to meet each other later this year, and as it is written in the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ joint statement, the Presidents also "instructed their Foreign Ministers to continue their work with the Co-Chairs on an agenda for the presidential summit."  

This seems to be quite a constructive step both by the Co-Chairs, who came up with this suggestion and by the sides, who expressed their readiness. However, not everything is so simple and though bad negotiations are better than war, still there are things, which one simply cannot perceive. How can the Co-Chairs speak about a meeting of the Presidents of two countries and introduce it as a constructive step, when one of the sides continues its destructive policy? After the relative calm during the European Games in Baku, now the situation on the borders is quite tense. The Azerbaijani side continues intensively violating the ceasefire, leaving the Armenian and the Karabakh side no other chance than to  supress the opponent by return fire, assymetric in their nature. After the European Games the fact that it is exactly the Azerbaijani side, which ignores the existing ceasefire, hence the mediators, became obvious. If at least this time one would expect from the Co-Chairs that they would point out the side, which continues violating the ceasefire, this did not happen. As always their statement was very general: "We are concerned about the recent rise in tensions, and we urged the Presidents to avoid a deadly escalation of violence and take all measures to adhere strictly to the ceasefire."

Besides the escalation of the situation on the borders, almost every day we come across with the war rhetoric of Azerbaijan. What is interesting: threats heard on very high levels – from the President of Azerbaijan and the Minister of Defense, let alone the others.

Taking into consideration the above-mentioned, it is even funny to speak about constructive meeting of the Presidents. Before that meeting the Co-Chairs should work in the direction of changing the prevailing destructive atmosphere. In this regard they should be more precise in their statements, mentioning the addressee of their announcements. This, at least would make Azerbaijan be more cautious in their actions and wording, stop acting as a "spoiled child," who is never being punished or whose "naughtiness" are always  being perceived as something usual. This is the first step to be taken by the Co-Chairs to ensure any progress in the negotiations.