In the process of the regulation of the NKR conflict the events develop in a quite swift manner. Only during the past month the Madrid Principles were revealed and the presidents of the countries of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group made a statement aimed at urging the conflicting sides to find a resolution. Only during the past month the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev met twice. It became known that the most interested sides third countries of the conflict Russia and the US intend to change the co-chairmen of their countries on behalf of the solution. It was also exposed that the co-chairs of the Minsk Group are preparing a new version of the Madrid Principles, the Krakow version, which will be submitted to Aliyev and Sargsyan in fall. Doesn’t this prove the fact that a new phase of the conflict will be launched? Is it true that during Moscow meeting nothing essential was agreed upon and no document was signed? Or maybe they have reached a verbal agreement on signing the document? So far the experts and politicians may only make assumptions and more definitely answer why the US and Russia wish to replace their experienced co-chairs. The head of the ARF Hay Dat Yerevan Office Kiro Manoyan thinks that in the human aspects it is alright if the co-chairs are changed (the person cannot be a co-chair eternally) but he has a fear that by replacing the co-chairs those countries are trying to pressure on the conflicting sides. “No matter who’s appointed he/she is going to demand time to get introduced to the whole process. It means this is pressure to make the conflicting countries hurry up with the resolution before the co-chairs are changed. And the pressure relates to the main principles. And I think the co-chairs won’t be changed till the conflicting sides express their opinions about the principles. And this is pressure on the parties as well,” says Kiro Manoyan. The MP from the Heritage faction Stepan Safaryan has the opinion that the NKR conflict goes to a next stage. “Only the fact that the American side and the OSCE publicized the document (Madrid Principles – A.A.) means that the Prague process launched in 2004 goes to its retirement. This means that now is the stage of public discussions and the presidents should give their response. Regardless of what is going to be next, whether the document will be signed or not the second stage should be launched. We will wait what the name of the next stage will be. Under these conditions there is the need of new players, who will bring new approaches and strategies. And let’s not forget that the co-chairs in 2006 stated that their imagination has already faded out and now they cannot offer anything new to them and that now it is the turn of the presidents to offer something and give their response. So now we have to deal with a new stage of new players,” thinks the MP. And at this moment we don’t know what solutions the new Madrid or Krakow principles will offer. Let us only recall that Bryza’s last week statement, the basis of which was the first provision of the Madrid Principles, relates to the return of the adjacent territories of the NKR to Azerbaijan. “As Aliyev mentioned in his interview given in the beginning of July after signing the peace resolution the 5 territories – Fizuli, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Zangelan and Kubatlu will be returned to Azerbaijan immediately and Lachin and Kelbajar will be retrieved in 5 years. This means that he is saying that part of the territory will be returned immediately and the rest later. In the meantime Azerbaijan will also undertake certain steps. This mostly includes the interpretation of Aliyev on corridor between Armenia and the NKR and also his understanding about the status of the NKR. The co-chairs are also speaking about the mediate stratus,” said Bryza and added, “if they want to regulate the issue the parties should take a risk.”
