Azeri experts are at their wits’ end trying to prevent the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s involvement in negotiations, while coming up with any number of fables.
Earlier, the U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said, “Armenians of the Nagorno Karabakh deserve to have their voices heard.” He further advised Azerbaijani President to refrain from harsh remarks that might lead to escalation of tensions at conflict zone. Commenting on the aforementioned in his article published at Minval.az, Saleh Ustajly surmises that the U.S. might be trying to win over Armenia, which has drastically shifted focus towards Russia.
Baku can’t seem to realize that NKR’s involvement in the negotiations is not a whim of a co-chairing country, but rather, a necessity. If Baku is actually willing to find a peaceful solution - which would be recognition of the Karabah independence – Stepanakert should be part of the mediator-free negotiations.
Ustajly can’t accept that NKR doesn’t answer to Baku, so he keeps repeating the worn-out phrases: “international community doesn’t recognize Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan, yet is against Azerbaijan’s forceful restoration of its territorial sovereignty.”
According to the author of the article, the U.S. may soon start an unprecedented pressure over Azerbaijan to procure the latter's support for Karabakh's involvement in negotiations, which, he says. may lead to Karabkh's intermediary status, to be factually considered a recognized state.
If Baku finds it suitable to believe that the U.S. is interested in Karabakh's involvement, that might, in fact, become a reality in near future. Yet, the main thing should be kept in mind: the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan are the actual conflicting parties. And it is they who should decide on their future, regardless of what the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia agree on. And the future, as was repeatedly mentioned, rules out for NKR to become a part of Azerbaijan. Baku seems to be well aware of the fact, so President Aliev's military rhetoric is merely a futile attempt to alter the reality.
