Aland Model Similar to Package Settlement of Karabakh Issue

PanARMENIAN.Net - The project of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict based on the Aland model is not a new one - it was submitted with some modifications in 1996-1997, when the package and stepwise options were considered, political scientist Stepan Grigoryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, there are provisions in that model that can be taken into consideration. Among the core ones Grigoryan called the right of the local parliament to adopt laws on domestic affairs of the islands, approval of the budget. Legal advantage of the local parliament is established in education and culture, health, economy, transport, municipal economy, police, post services, electronic media. In those fields Aland Islands have the rights of a sovereign state. «Aland people have the right to refuse from service in the Finnish army and it is very important. NKR citizens will have the same right in case the talks follow that route,» he remarked.



The political scientist also considers demilitarization is necessary. «Deployment of military bases is prohibited on the islands. Talks may be held over all of those provisions. In this case it is possible to draw an analogy with the Karabakh conflict - the Aland model is similar to the package settlement option,» Stepan Grigoryan underscored. It should be reminded that Azeri political analyst Eldar Jahangirov lately spoke about the Aland model for settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.