Georgia: Armenian Hopes
While the West continues to chastise Russia for recognizing the independence of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, some are starting to consider the implications for Nagorno Karabakh.
Indeed, although Yerevan is trying to remain as neutral as possible, given Russia’s warning to Moldova about following Georgia’s example in taking back Transdniestria by force, some consider that Moscow is also sending a clear sign to Azerbaijan as well.
Indeed, marking the source as Reuters, the U.S.-based Armenian Asbarez newspaper appears to have posted an article from the news agency which apparently makes specific reference to Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.
Medvedev’s statement comes against the backdrop of growing threats from Azerbaijan to use military force to “reclaim” the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which declared independence from Baku in 1991 following brutal massacres of Armenians throughout Azerbiajan.
Although the tense status quo in Karabakh has by and large held, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev continues to threaten the use of his country’s petrodollar-funded military to take the territory by force.
However, the two paragraphs do not appear in any other publication of the Reuters article, raising some concerns that the ARF-D affiliated newspaper added additional text without highlighting the fact to its readers. Moreover, there has certainly been no statement from the Russian president, Dmitri Medvedev to this effect.
Despite citing Kosovo as an important precedent for recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Medvedev has so far not issued any such warnings to Azerbaijan, and yesterday the Russian Ambassador in Baku made it quite clear that Moscow’s position remains unchanged on the matter.
Russia does not have any changes to its formerly declared position regarding territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the Ambassador of Russia to Azerbaijan, Vasiliy Istratov, briefed the media on 26 August.
On 25 August, the Council of Federation and State Duma unanimously supported the appeal to the President of Russia regarding recognition of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The President of Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, signed an order recognizing independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
According to Istratov, the declaration, signed between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia in July of this year, does not lose its force.
“The decision recognizing independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is related to the concrete situation, which appeared in the region as a result of beginning of military operations by the Georgian authorities in South Ossetia on 8 August. This decision was made with regards to the concrete situation in the concrete area,” said Istratov.
Photo: Russian soldiers, Gori, Republic of Georgia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008
- Published:
- 08.27.08 / 3am by Onnik
- Category:
- Armenia, Blogs, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh, News Briefs, Opinion, Russia
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