Comments on: Nagorno Karabakh: Refugees, Occupied Territories & Selective Memory Loss http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/11/15/nagorno-karabakh-dispute-division-confusion/ News, Photography, Blogs & Analysis Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:57:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Armenia & the South Caucasus | The Caucasian Knot » Nagorno Karabakh: Peace Deal Still Elusive http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/11/15/nagorno-karabakh-dispute-division-confusion/#comment-9764 Armenia & the South Caucasus | The Caucasian Knot » Nagorno Karabakh: Peace Deal Still Elusive Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:26:43 +0000 http://blog.oneworld.am/?p=1011#comment-9764 [...] Principles, the difficult part remains in agreeing on the actual details which would include the return of territory and refugees, international security guarantees and how Karabakh’s final status would be determined. [...] […] Principles, the difficult part remains in agreeing on the actual details which would include the return of territory and refugees, international security guarantees and how Karabakh’s final status would be determined. […]

]]> By: Onnik http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/11/15/nagorno-karabakh-dispute-division-confusion/#comment-9734 Onnik Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:39:00 +0000 http://blog.oneworld.am/?p=1011#comment-9734 Incidentally, the question of the right to return for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) came up in interviews I've held with the two last Country Directors of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): <blockquote>An Interview With Tim Straight Country Director, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Honorary Norwegian Consul to Armenia [...] Here, there's not a lot of donor presence, not a lot of focus, not a lot of interest and there will be no progress or decision made on this issue until a peace deal is signed. Do they own those houses or not? What about those 36,000 houses that Armenians have been living in for up to sixteen years? Can they be legally titled to those families? What about compensation to the Azeris that used to own them? What about compensation for those Armenians with apartments in Baku ? None of that is going to be solved until there's a peace agreement and it has to be part of any deal. You can't make a durable peace agreement without addressing these issues and they're horribly complicated. So as much as everybody says it's important, yes it is, but we can't do anything about it. In cooperation with UNHCR all we can do is just say that there can't be a peace agreement without addressing those issues. For example, you've seen Ptghavan. It was an Azeri village, or seventy percent of it was, and when the first wave of people came they took those houses. There were no houses for the second wave of refugees so they just moved into containers on the edge of town. [...]</blockquote> http://archive.hetq.am/eng/interview/h-0204-tstraight.html <blockquote>An Interview with Kjell Engebretsen, Country Director, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) [...] OK: At the moment there's a lot of talk about the return of IDPs in Azerbaijan and refugees in Armenia to their former homes in and around Nagorno Karabakh once a peace deal is signed. Most recently, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State referred to this issue and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is also including the matter on its agenda. Is the Norwegian Refugee Council and UNHCR involved in this matter? KE: No, in Armenia we are not. However, our office in Baku is looking into this very carefully, of course. It should happen, but the situation in Azerbaijan is very different from that in Armenia because here we're still struggling with the economy, whereas Azerbaijan has become very, very rich. If something were to happen regarding Nagorno Karabakh or the areas surrounding it, that would have to happen after some kind of peace deal. OK: When some people talk of the return of IDPs to territory surrounding Nagorno Karabakh, and we're talking about Azerbaijanis and Kurds, some Armenians don't understand why there should be the "right to return" included in any peace deal. Maybe this is a political question, perhaps, but in your opinion, why is it important that refugees and IDPs have the "right to return?" KE: Well, lets put Nagorno Karabakh aside and talk about the area surrounding it. As far as I understand, and this is accepted by Armenia as well, that land is considered to be an occupied area -- a security zone around Karabakh. If there was an agreement then I guess that this area surrounding Karabakh would be given back to the Azeris. I don't know much about this, but I think that this would be the situation. If this happened, then of course the people that lived there would be entitled to return to their homes. That's the way I see it. [...]</blockquote> http://archive.hetq.am/eng/interview/0603-nrc.html Incidentally, the question of the right to return for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) came up in interviews I’ve held with the two last Country Directors of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC):

An Interview With Tim Straight
Country Director, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Honorary Norwegian Consul to Armenia

[…]

Here, there’s not a lot of donor presence, not a lot of focus, not a lot of interest and there will be no progress or decision made on this issue until a peace deal is signed. Do they own those houses or not?
What about those 36,000 houses that Armenians have been living in for up to sixteen years? Can they be legally titled to those families? What about compensation to the Azeris that used to own them? What about compensation for those Armenians with apartments in Baku ?

None of that is going to be solved until there’s a peace agreement and it has to be part of any deal. You can’t make a durable peace agreement without addressing these issues and they’re horribly complicated. So as much as everybody says it’s important, yes it is, but we can’t do anything about it. In cooperation with UNHCR all we can do is just say that there can’t be a peace agreement without addressing those issues.

For example, you’ve seen Ptghavan. It was an Azeri village, or seventy percent of it was, and when the first wave of people came they took those houses. There were no houses for the second wave of refugees so they just moved into containers on the edge of town.

[…]

http://archive.hetq.am/eng/interview/h-0204-tstraight.html

An Interview with Kjell Engebretsen, Country Director, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

[…]

OK: At the moment there’s a lot of talk about the return of IDPs in Azerbaijan and refugees in Armenia to their former homes in and around Nagorno Karabakh once a peace deal is signed. Most recently, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State referred to this issue and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is also including the matter on its agenda. Is the Norwegian Refugee Council and UNHCR involved in this matter?

KE: No, in Armenia we are not. However, our office in Baku is looking into this very carefully, of course. It should happen, but the situation in Azerbaijan is very different from that in Armenia because here we’re still struggling with the economy, whereas Azerbaijan has become very, very rich. If something were to happen regarding Nagorno Karabakh or the areas surrounding it, that would have to happen after some kind of peace deal.

OK: When some people talk of the return of IDPs to territory surrounding Nagorno Karabakh, and we’re talking about Azerbaijanis and Kurds, some Armenians don’t understand why there should be the “right to return” included in any peace deal. Maybe this is a political question, perhaps, but in your opinion, why is it important that refugees and IDPs have the “right to return?”

KE: Well, lets put Nagorno Karabakh aside and talk about the area surrounding it. As far as I understand, and this is accepted by Armenia as well, that land is considered to be an occupied area — a security zone around Karabakh. If there was an agreement then I guess that this area surrounding Karabakh would be given back to the Azeris. I don’t know much about this, but I think that this would be the situation.

If this happened, then of course the people that lived there would be entitled to return to their homes. That’s the way I see it.

[…]

http://archive.hetq.am/eng/interview/0603-nrc.html

]]> By: Onnik http://blog.oneworld.am/2008/11/15/nagorno-karabakh-dispute-division-confusion/#comment-9733 Onnik Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:25:35 +0000 http://blog.oneworld.am/?p=1011#comment-9733 <blockquote>OSCE MG eye Moscow declaration as opportunity to resolve Karabakh conflict 13.11.2008 However, U.S. mediator Matt Bryza said it’s premature to speak of deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone yet. “We should complete the work at the base principles and then consider the possibility of deploying peacekeepers,” he said, adding that the MG format is supported by Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and will not be changed, Azeri media reports. During the November 2 meeting, the Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan pledged to intensify negotiations to end the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The declaration envisages resolution of the conflict on the basis of principles and norms of the international law as well as agreements and documents concluded in this framework. Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev also instructed their foreign ministers to activate the negotiation process, in collaboration with the co-chairs of the OSCE’s Minsk Group.</blockquote> http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27668

OSCE MG eye Moscow declaration as opportunity to resolve Karabakh conflict

13.11.2008

However, U.S. mediator Matt Bryza said it’s premature to speak of deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone yet.

“We should complete the work at the base principles and then consider the possibility of deploying peacekeepers,” he said, adding that the MG format is supported by Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and will not be changed, Azeri media reports.

During the November 2 meeting, the Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan pledged to intensify negotiations to end the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The declaration envisages resolution of the conflict on the basis of principles and norms of the international law as well as agreements and documents concluded in this framework.

Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev also instructed their foreign ministers to activate the negotiation process, in collaboration with the co-chairs of the OSCE’s Minsk Group.

http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27668

]]>