AZERIS WANT EX-PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO COME BACK TO POWER

[MosJan]

AZERIS WANT EX-PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO COME BACK TO POWER

 

Two journalists from Armenia and another two from Azerbaijan were in Macedonia’s Skopje from November 15 to 22 to meet with Macedonian and Albanian reporters. The gathering was organized by the Macedonia Media Institute together with Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs and with the support of the Open Society Institute.

 

Looking at the reasons that triggered eruption of conflicts in the Balkans and South Caucasus one cannot fail to see that there is one basic similarity between them. Both the Balkans and South Caucasus found themselves under the debris of disintegrated totalitarian regimes with native nations induced into clashes resulting in dozens of thousands victims.

 

Any meeting between Azeri and Armenian reporters acquire an extra shade of importance in the context of approaching presidential polls in both countries. Who will be elected presidents and what impact will they have on the fate of the long-running conflict over Nagorno Karabagh? Azeri reporters seemed to be interested in two questions only-would ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian stand for presidency and what are chances for the incumbent president Kocharian to be re-elected.

 

Azeri journalists said re-election of Kocharian would not be desirable to Azerbaijan as “the leader of Karabagh separatists would never go to any compromise and as long Kocharian is in power the opposition would not end and Azeri refugees would not be able to return to their settlements.

 

Armenia’s ex-president’s rating in Azerbaijan is rather high. Certainly, any Armenian remains an enemy for any Azeri, but it is hard to say why they believe that Levon Ter-Petrosian’s comeback would induce a resolution that would be beneficial to them. Azeri reporters insisted that Ter-Petrosian’s comeback to power stems from the vital interests of Armenia. Here is what one Azeri journalist said: “besides the core of the compromises the compromise’s moment is also important. Today the armed forces of Karabagh and Armenia are as strong as never before but in a couple of years, given the conflict goes unresolved, they both would become weaker. What you are rejecting today you will be begging for in future, but we shall not give it, like it happened many times in our history.”

 

That was an excerpt from an article War or Peace Levon Ter-Petrosian had published several months before he was ousted. Ter-Petrosian’s comeback to power is wanted by Azerbaijan as he had agreed to the so-called phased option of the conflict’s regulation, unlike Kocharian who stands for the package option.

 

As regards Azeri president Heydar Aliyev, one of the journalists said that his main concern is not to regulate the conflict but to hand over the power to his son Ilham. Therefore, he is not able to resolve the conflict.

 

I was surprised to learn that many Azeris believe that Ter-Petrosian enjoys high popularity in Armenia and will certainly be nominated as a presidential candidate and will win. Most probably they trust in what the media, close to former ruling Armenian National Movement say.

 

By T.Hakobian

 

 

© Copyright AZG

[Rubo]

I also read that article. I guess my take on resolution of Karabagh is “What Karabagh problem?” It is solved already! Azeris are day dreaming about the past but as I recollect my memory they also rejected Petrosian’s version of proposals.

[Guest Fadi]

quote:

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Azeris are day dreaming about the past but as I recollect my memory they also rejected Petrosian’s version of proposals.

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Which past ?