YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–In an interview with Noyan Tapan–Oleg Yesayan–Karabakh’s newly-elected National Assembly Speaker shared his thoughts on Karabakh and the ongoing peace process.
Speaking on the upcoming Copenhagen summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s foreign ministers–Yesayan said that a resolution passed recently by the United Nations–calling Karabakh an entity of the Azeri state–may have some influence on the outcome of the talks on Karabakh.
"Although the resolution has no judicial force–it is nevertheless a recommendation–the representation of Nagorno-Karabakh as a component of the single Azeri State is nothing else than the predetermination of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh before the Minsk Conference is even assembled," said the Karabakh leader.
"I think that it won’t give anything real to Azerbaijan–but it still may greatly effect the negotiating process and have a negative impact on it," he continued.
It is puzzling that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen–who are interested in the political settlement of the problem and pay much attention to it–seem to have at once let the United Nations have the initiative–said Yesayan. "Of course–it is not excluded that the OSCE views the UN resolution–however advisory it may be–as another argument to pressure Nagorno-Karabakh," reasoned the National Assembly speaker.
Yesayan further said–"…any solution leaving Karabakh within Azerbaijan will all the same turn out to be politically impractical. And not only because we–the people of Karabakh–mean that. We had opposed it for 70 years under Soviet rule–we will never want it. It is that under the current situation it is impossible to put such a solution into practice."
Yesayan said that in the case of such an outcome–Karabakh will need to have its own army to protects itself. In that scenario–he said–the Azeri army and the Karabakh army–although part of the same legal state–will have to oppose each other. How will that work–asked the leader.
Yesayan said he saw his immediate priorities to be those of stabilizing the country’s legal system–by introducing and enacting laws within the National Assembly–as well as continue the creation of a constitution–which reflects the division and authority of the three branches of the government.
Yesayan said that he would follow President Arkady Ghoukassian’s lead in strengthening independent Karabakh’s statehood–through sound economic and social policies.
The National Assembly speaker is also concerned with strengthening the role of parliament deputies–by clearly outlining their duties and responsibilities–as well as a comprehensive plan of action.
Yesayan concluded by referring to the Lisbon summit–saying that he did not think that the disastrous results of the OSCE Lisbon summit would resurface at the upcoming meeting in Copenhagen–because he said–the Lisbon Summit has been held up as a failure during the negotiations–and the OSCE is unlikely to proceed in that same manner.
