By Ara Khachatourian
The following article by Asbarez English editor Ara Khachatourian appeared in Asbarez on July 15.
James Warlick, the U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with mediating a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict, is sounding more like Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev than a so-called impartial diplomat tasked with resolving the longest conflict in post-Soviet history.
In an interview with the Russian daily Vedomosti published this week, Warlick said the “occupied” territories of Azerbaijan must be returned to Azeri control as part of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
Warlick said that conflicting sides should not focus on just one element or principle of the settlement. Territories must be returned, but there are other factors involved, which is why the co-chairs advocate a comprehensive settlement.
The most egregious part of Warlick’s statement, which was a reiteration of U.S. policy outlined last year at the Carnegie Foundation after Warlick held a public meeting with Armenian-American community leaders in Glendale, is the adoption of language that has been used for almost 25 years by one side of the conflict—Azerbaijan.
The “comprehensive settlement” to which Warlick alludes is incumbent upon the return of the said territories, without any specific guarantees that may favor Karabagh. Simply put, Karabagh is expected to make the first move before any other provisions of a settlement are carried out.
Warlick told Vedomosti that security guarantees are an element of the settlement, and would include the deployment of international peacekeeping forces—either U.N. or OSCE. It would be up to the parties to negotiate which would provide the peacekeeping troops “to ensure the security of Nagorno-Karabagh.”
Later in the interview, Warlick acknowledged that the mechanisms for those security guarantees have not yet been outlined, but his insistence that the territories in question must be “returned to Azerbaijan” does not, in any way or form, inspire confidence.
In fact, what is being said, in this case by the U.S. co-chairman, is nothing short of bullying, which favors and conforms to the rhetoric emanating from Baku. How is this arm-twisting supposed to advance the talks when one side’s bellicose rhetoric is being parroted by the mediator tasked with finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict?
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) astutely observed that “the OSCE co-chairs have developed this bad habit of very openly lecturing the Armenian side about exactly what they ‘must’ surrender, while remaining effectively silent about any specific concessions they expect of Azerbaijan. This isn’t mediation, it’s public intimidation.”
Coincidentally—or not—the other entity that urges the return of lands before anything else is Turkey, which has preconditioned its approval of the dangerous Armenia-Turkey protocols on the return of “occupied territories.” It would not be that far-fetched to infer a correlation in this scenario.
The trajectory of the OSCE Minsk Group negotiations has shown that in an eventual peace deal, Armenia and Karabagh stand to lose the most, while Azerbaijan stands to gain despite its guilt in starting and escalating the Karabagh conflict, a fact categorically ignored by mediators and the international community in general.
Warlick and the other co-chairmen are embracing and buttressing Baku’s victim mentality, thus providing it cover and carte blanche to advance its military rhetoric and continue its attacks on Karabagh and Armenian forces. The reaction to these Azeri ceasefire violations has usually involved a statement urging both sides to refrain from military activities. This creates a false parity that does not bode well for the Minsk Group’s stated intention of providing security guarantees.
Warlick expressed concern about the escalation of tensions on the border and claimed that the sides must work together to reach a negotiated peace, with Karabagh expected to make the first move by giving up what Warlick and Aliyev both call “occupied territories.” There is no direct condemnation of the belligerent attacks by Azerbaijani forces on Karabagh positions, such as the downing of a helicopter in broad daylight and Baku’s subsequent prevention of efforts to reclaim the remains of the three soldiers killed in the attack.
The examples of Baku’s violations have been reported and are too numerous to recount here, but the OSCE co-chairmen’s reactions have always been the same—urging calm to both sides. Yet, that same parity does not apply when the OSCE co-chairmen continue to insist that Karabagh make concessions in the interest of eventual peace.
What is lacking in this process is a frank reflection on the genesis of the conflict, from which an equitable solution can be proposed based on truth and justice.
When in 1988 Armenians in Armenia and Karabagh took to the streets in the hundreds of thousands, using the new-found freedoms envisioned by Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika, Azerbaijan’s response was to initiate pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad, Shahumian, and Getashen, coupled with relentless attacks on the civilian population of Karabagh, thus sparking the war.
Azerbaijan lost the war, and here is the OSCE Minks Group doing its utmost to minimize Baku’s embarrassment and the blemish that it has left on the Aliyev clan. Interestingly, however, successive U.S. co-chairmen have carried that torch, with the most notorious of them being Matthew Bryza, whose entrenched connections with official Baku and Ankara are also too numerous to enumerate.
To build confidence and to ensure the success of any security guarantees in the region, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen must act immediately and unequivocally to return Karabagh to the negotiating table as a full-fledged party to the conflict. After all, the signatories of the 1994 ceasefire agreement were Stepanakert, Baku, and Yerevan, with Moscow as the mediating entity.
Furthermore, the parity that is falsely being doled out should actually be exercised whereby the Armenian side is not the only side that is forced to make concessions. For the OSCE, which values democracy above all else, the fact that the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic has existed for almost a quarter of century and is being governed based on democratic principles (the same cannot be said about Azerbaijan) must become an important consideration in the eventual determination of its status, which can be nothing short of an independent republic, for which the people of Karabagh have shed blood and have expressed their will in the polling booth.
The famous Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov said at the time of the Karabagh conflict that the issue of Karabagh is a matter of life and death for Armenians, but a matter of prestige for Azerbaijan.
Mr. Warlick, conflict resolutions must be guided by matters of life and death, and not on an insistence to give more leeway to the aggressor so that it can advance its military agenda.
Ara Khachatourian
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Mr.James Warlick getting paid for doing his job. He will be out of work, if corrupted oil man decided to reduce his enjoyable barking and shooting habits toward Armenians!
The problem with so many of these sleazy, prostitute U.S. government officials (such as James Warlick) is that they take themselves too seriously. What business do they have in preaching to Armenia and Artsakh what they can and can’t do? What these U.S. government officials need to do instead, is focus on the enormous amount of crimes that America is committing in the world today, especially over in the Middle East. As for James Warlick, the Armenian Nation is giving him the middle finger, and is laughing hard at him for making such a horrible fool out of himself by putting in all that effort to imitate his sugar daddy, Sultan Aliyev. Out of curiosity, exactly how much money could Sultan Aliyev possibly be paying to his favorite prostitute (James Warlick) for his services?
Only a few comments on such an explicitly anti-Armenian move on the part of the US OSCE co-chairman? I can imagine all hell that would break on these pages had the Russian co-chairman made such a statement…
Where are all those critics of Armenia’s alliance with Russia? Is an alliance with the US, whose representative characterizes the liberated security zones around Artsakh as “occupied” territories and calls for their return to Azeri control, more in sync with Armenia’s security and survival?
Right John:
I am a little surprised too that Mr. Khachatourian found the time to criticize something about Americans vis-à-vis Armenia or Artsakh.
Usually his objects of ire are those evil “Rooshians” or the evil, unelected “regime” in Yerevan.
Something worse (in my opinion) was pronounced by another American and I don’t remember _any_ criticism by any Armenian-American public figures.
Maybe there was, but I do not recall seeing it.
US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland goes to Yerevan, and during a press conference demands, in so many words, that NKR authorities release on, quote, “humanitarian” (sic) grounds two Turkbaijani terrorists who had invaded Armenian lands, kidnapped a 17 year old Armenian youth, tortured him, murdered him, and had dumped his body in a forest. (also had murdered an Armenian officer, and gravely wounded a civilian woman).
In effect, a very high ranking representative of the US State Department was giving the green light to Azerbaijan to kidnap and murder Armenians.
In effect, a high ranking executive of US State Dept tells the criminal, terrorist state of Azerbaijan, in so many words, it is OK to murder Armenians in their own ancestral lands.
It is OK to murder a 17 year old Armenian youth.
Would Assistant Secretary State Nuland similarly demand from authorities in Israel that they release the Hamas terrorist (Hussam Qawasmeh, serving life), on “humanitarian” grounds of course, who had kidnapped and murdered 3 Israeli youths (16,16, and 19) ?
(two other Hamas suspects were shot dead).
I rather doubt it.
Would the Armenian (American) Bar Association find the time to write a letter, undersigned by 9 attorneys, to Ms. Nuland and demand she apologize for her Anti-Armenian, Anti-Christian remarks ?
I rather doubt that too.
James Walrick is a spineless character who since his appointment to the Minsk group co chair has not contributed one iota to the resolution of the conflict other than making inflammatory statemets in favor of the Azeris.
Even though his resume list various diplomatic assignments, his most visible position was the Ambassador of the US to Bulgaria. Big Wow!!!
As a US diplomat he is nothing but a puppet who says what he is told to say by the State Dept ( and Obama). He has no convictions, no visions, no opinion of his own.
Now he is in Armenia and will be meeting with President and Foreign Minister. I sincerely hope that during the meeting they give him the cold shoulder and put him in place. They are the rightful and legitimate representatives and their posture, opinions and position carries much more weight than if we express our opinion in the AW which does not have a tangible impact other than venting our frustration.
Vart Adjemian
From another angle, it is actually a good thing such one-sided, looney, biased comments are made as “territories must be returned”, because they are digging their own hole and it actually delays whatever nefarious plan they have against Armenia even further when Armenia brings up charges of bias. Now Armenia can come up with other points of why these ideas are wrong and must be addressed correctly, as well as cause even further delays after insisting Artsakh also become a party to the negotiations, then create ambiguities and start the process all over again. This is how they play the game, so we must play and beat them in their own game. The Obama regime proved to be incompetent in nearly every issue it has taken on, and Artsakh is no exception. Perhaps Warlick is actually doing Armenia a favor. Whether it is inadvertently, is the big question.
Why are we surprised at Warlick’s comments and why are we putting the blame solely on Obama’s administration? This isn’t about Obama, this isn’t even about Warlick. This matter is about the world’s most corrupt political entity, the US. Let me point out a few things that the average sheeple in the US seems totally unaware of because they have been intentionally dumbed-down by their leaders:
Elections in the US is basically about two groups of well connected people competing for the empire’s control panels. There has not been “free and fair” elections in the US for generations. The system is rigged to be a two party show. Democrats and Republicans are ultimately two sides of the same coin. Every four years the financial/corporate elite in the US decide what shirt the sheeple will wear, and the sheeple are given the “democratic” choice of picking between two colors. The US political system is like a two ring circus managed by a ringmaster that the audience does not get to see. US presidents are appointed by the elite to be elected by the sheeple. US presidents are tasked with being the spokesmen or salesmen for special interests running the imperial show behind-the-scenes. The US is being run as if it is a multi-national corporation in which the American citizenry is its work force. The US is more of a plutocracy than a democracy. US civilization prospered not because of a wonderful democratic system but because of centuries of mass scale exploitation of humans and nature and war plunder. US civilization lives well currently because of the absolute global domination the US dollar. For US civilization to continue living well, the hegemony of the US dollar has to be maintained by military intervention around the world and all potential competitors on the world stage have to be either isolated or destroyed. This is the problem the world is currently facing today. The US has become a monster of global proportions. But a monster that will not live forever because the US is a civilization in decline. The American system will eventually collapse, perhaps within this century. And once it does, it will make the Soviet collapse look like a leisurely stroll through a flower garden.
Russia is the last hope for western/European civilization, apostolic Christianity, societal conservatism and the traditional nation-state. Russia is the last front against Anglo-American imperialism, Westernization, Globalism, Zionism, Islamic extremism and pan-Turkism. God bless Mother Russia. God bless our Hayrenik. And may God help protect our centuries old Russo-Armenian alliance from all enemies both foreign and domestic.
Harutik, are you one of those internet forum posting propagandists for Russia?
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/russias-online-comment-propaganda-army/280432/
Your post is nothing but ideological talking points.
I assume you live in Russia if you think so highly of the country.
Russia is the last hope? Besides being a gigantic garbage can, filled with empty vodka bottles, exactly what kind of hope can Putin’s Russia offer to anybody besides corruption?
The trend of comments/discussion is totally irrelevant to the fair and peaceful resolution of the Nagarno-Karabagh conflict.
The co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group is Igor Popov of Russia. What has Mr Popov said or done to counter Mt. Walrick.
The sad reality is that since 1992, the OSCE Minsk group has been ineffective and incompetent, and the blame cannot solely be placed on the USA.
Varrt Adjemian
The trend of comments should not be relevant to the fair and peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, because comments here pertain to the despicable statement of the US OSCE Co-Chair who, as article title claims, “is sounding more like Aliyev”. It is your comment about the OSCE Minsk group that has been ineffective and incompetent since 1992 that is irrelevant. Neither Mr. Popov nor any of his Russian predecessors in the Minsk Group has ever said that the “occupied territories of Azerbaijan must be returned to Azeri control.” And because only the US Co-chair has said that, the blame is naturally being placed only on the US. How else?
Mr. Adjemian:
I second what [John] wrote and will add the following:
{“ The co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group is Igor Popov of Russia. What has Mr Popov said or done to counter Mt. Walrick.”}
The fact that you are singling out the Russian co-chair of OSCE and forgetting the other c-chair, France, shows your Anti-Russian bias.
May I ask what is the reason for that ?
Sir, I assume you are a US citizen, Yes ?
So am I.
So is Mr. Khachatourian.
It is our duty as Armenian-American US citizens to ensure that our elected representatives do not cause harm to RoA or NKR.
In another article, I believe it was Mr. Aram Hamparian, wrote that Nagorno Karabagh Republic encapsulates the best traditions and principles that United Sates was founded on.
It is quite the case.
The fact that US would support a criminal, terrorist, genocidal dictatorship vs an exemplary democracy shows how far in the putrid muck this country’s foreign policy has sunk.
May I ask which parts of US foreign policy (currently run by foreign-interests influenced Neocons) benefits the average American taxpayers ?
Why do you even feel compelled to defend US State Dept in this case.
What Russians or French do or not do should be addressed by Russian-Armenian and French-Armenian diasporas, respectively.
And your argument that an OCSE co-chair should criticize another co-chair is absurd: it simply is not done.
Mr. Warlick is unquestionably out of line here: to criticize him is not only not unpatriotic, but very much patriotic.
Very much American.
These people need to be constantly criticized, taken to task, and driven out of office: they have brought nothing but death and destruction all over the world, have saddled the US taxpayer with trillions in debt, have sent American young men (and women) to get killed needlessly to protect the interests of Godless, unpatriotic multinational corporations,….the evil these people do is endless.
For an American to defend the likes of Mr. Warlick, an official representative of US State Dept, is beyond my understanding.
Yerevanian,
I don’t know what your intent of Russia bashing is, but it does not appear to be for the benefit of Armenia at all, despite what you claim. You claim to be anti-everything except Armenia, but don’t have an answer with how Armenia would protect itself if Russia pulled out of Armenia and even severed its ties since it is a “gigantic garbage can”. What do you propose for Armenia without Russia, that people gather sticks and stones and fight the forces of evil with them?
And which country in your opinion is not a “gigantic garbage can”, which Armenia needs to look for to protect itself, can you tell us?
Random Armenian,
Russia’s “propaganda army” is a breath of fresh air next to the despicable, vile, blatant lies in the so-called “free” west.
Russian media may not be perfect or even 100% true, but unlike in the west, at least Russian media does not take its audience for complete idiots.
“Russia’s “propaganda army” is a breath of fresh air next to the despicable, vile, blatant lies in the so-called “free” west.
Russian media may not be perfect or even 100% true, but unlike in the west, at least Russian media does not take its audience for complete idiots.”
wow. I’m left speechless here. So you like it when someone’s media intentionally tries to mislead you?
The purpose of such things as a “propoganda army” is to mislead and spread propaganda for political ends that a government or other entity wants the general population to follow. Instead of letting people develop their opinions using free and accurate information. Not from information fed through government controlled news organizations.
The more i read your postings the more you sound like a member of this “propaganda army” and the more you favor Armenia being subservient to Russia. You fear for Armenia’s security so much you’d give up independence.
I’m left speechless too. Never would I have imagined that a ‘random Armenian’ in the west would be brainwashed to the point of worshiping western deception so much so, that they would reject truth even if it hit them straight in the face. Perhaps you are a perfect representation of a random AMERICAN, not Armenian.
If you had any Armenian sentiments, you wouldn’t be anti-Russia in a hurry, especially for neocon lies, for the simple reason that Russia’s interests and security and Armenia’s interests and security happen to have a commonality. It doesn’t mean we need to become Russia’s slaves. I don’t share Harutik’s sentiments about Russia, because I don’t live there, for one. And two, my history has taught me not to trust any country completely. But I do have hope for Armenia’s relations with Russia going forward, because I want to remain optimistic.
And why do you constantly misconstrue what I write? I clearly stated, Russia’s propaganda, at face value, is far better than the lies of America’s Mainstream Liars. The two parts of this statement are a package deal, and not for you to divide and use for your deceptive agenda.
It’s also funny that you would ask, “So you like it when someone’s media intentionally tries to mislead you?” – in fact that is a good question for you to ask yourself since you are a perfectly indoctrinated specimen of the mainstream lying media in the west.
How do I know all this? Because being of Armenian descent I happen to know a few factual things that are going on in the world as a result of friendships, connections, relations etc, and listening to both “Russian Propaganda” and “Western Propaganda” made me realize which side is closer to disseminating truth. And as I said, while the former is not perfect, at least it is not the blown-out-of-the-water insane lies of the western media, whose first assumption is that their audience are the equivalent of brain-dead zombies who are eager to digest any lie they are told. Suit yourself if that tickles your fancy more than “Russian Propaganda”, but don’t expect to be relevant for Armenian interests.
Hagop,
Whatever your intent is in bashing those particular pro-Armenian commentators who are against Russia’s foul treatment of Armenia, it certainly isn’t for the benefit of Armenia nor the Armenian diaspora. In fact, it appears to be for the benefit of Russia.
“You claim to be anti-everything.” And exactly when did I make such a claim? What does being against Russia’s abusive control over Armenia have to do with being anti-everything? And again, what I desire for Armenia is a pro-Armenian leadership, as opposed to a Western-controlled or Russian-controlled leadership.
And when did I ever say that I want Russia’s military base to be removed from Armenia’s soil, and for Armenia to sever its ties with Russia? As I’ve stated on numerous occasions, due to the Turkish threat, it’s therefore necessary for those Russian troops to remain on Armenia’s soil. However, contrary to your delusions that “Mother Russia” cares so dearly about little Armenia, and therefore wishes to furnish it with love and protection, the true intent of the Russian military presence on Armenian soil is only to protect Moscow’s interests in that particular region. And, the moment that the Russians no longer have any kind of interests over there, will be the moment that they pull their troops out of Armenia.
“You claim to be anti-everything.”
Well in the past you have bashed the USA, and now Russia, calling it a “gigantic garbage can”, so I asked which place in the world in your opinion is not such a trash can for the benefit of Armenia? Any answer?
You admit you don’t want Russia to leave Armenia, for the benefit of Armenia, yet proceed to also call Russia a giant trash can, and that is being hypocritical. Things don’t work that way. Regardless of what Russia has done to Armenia in the past, the relations going forward must be positive and intelligent as opposed to your doom and gloom and hopelessness scenario. In short, you are achieving nothing with spreading anti-Russia ideas, but such ideas also have the capability of bringing harm to Armenia.
You obviously failed to comprehend what I meant by that particular term in reference to Russia. I used that particular term to describe the gigantic amount of corruption that’s pervasive in Russia today. This has nothing to do with Russia’s military presence in Armenia.
Unfortunately, there’s no country out there who’s truly beneficial to Armenia. In regard to Russia’s military presence in Armenia, it’s certainly necessary; however, it hasn’t been a true benefit; it’s been a false benefit. Russia’s military is certainly not on Armenia’s soil to protect the citizens of Armenia. They’re only there for one reason, which is to protect the interests of Moscow in that particular region. And if the moment comes that the Russians no longer have any kind of interests in that particular region, then they will have no problem with Turkey invading Armenia and attempting to destroy it. In fact, Russia has no problem whatsoever with Azerbaijan launching terrorist attacks on Armenia’s soil and killing Armenians.
“The relations going forward (between Russia and Armenia) must be positive.” Yes, however, contrary to your false beliefs, these relations have been nowhere close to being positive for Armenia. Russia’s foul, abusive treatment of Armenia is not the definition of positive; it’s the definition of negative.
It’s rather amusing that whenever I speak out against Russia’s foul, abusive treatment of Armenia, there always ends up being a Russian nationalistic propagandist out there to accuse me of spreading “anti-Russia ideas.”
John and Avery,
You either misunderstood my comment or totally distorted it.
My above comment posted on 7/20 is explicit and clear.
The points I was making were:
1- By continuously bashing and downgrading the USA and praising and glorifying Russia doe not in any way contribute to the resolution of the NKR conflict, or help our cause,
2- After 23 years of ineptitude and lack of progress by the OSCE Minsk group, how cannot it be irrelevant.
Vart Adjemian
I perfectly understood your comment.
Noone is ‘constantly’ bashing and downgrading the US. Posters here express indignation about a statement made by a Co-chair of the Minsk Group, who happened to be from the US. Does this mean these posters are ‘constantly’ bashing and downgrading the US? Besides, if the US doesn’t want to be bashed and downgraded by the Armenians, her government needs to make sure that their representatives don’t make anti-Armenian statements on their behalf.
Your point about “23 years of ineptitude and lack of progress by the OSCE Minsk group” is absolutely irrelevant. We’re not discussing the effectiveness of that organization here. We’re the discussing the recent anti-Armenian statement made by its US Co-chair.
I second what [John] wrote.
We neither misunderstood your comment nor distorted it.
The record of all the comments is quite clear and unambiguous.
There is no misunderstanding.
There is no distortion.
Sir: we give you due deference; you are a good man and a patriot.
We expect some fairness in return: we are not children.
John and Vart are entitled to their opinion. However, I suggest to John to read the comments posted more carefully.
I wonder if in Russia or Armenia such comments are allowed to be aired or published any medium?
Bedo
{“ I wonder if in Russia or Armenia such comments are allowed to be aired or published any medium”}
Maybe instead of your suggestion to [John], you yourself should learn something about Armenia, instead of wondering.
Do you have any clue of the level of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly that exists in RoA ?
Despite the vaunted First Amendment, US can’t hold a candle to Armenia.
To wit: a member of the Armenian Parliament libels the President of RoA in a foreign country, in the presence of enemies and adversaries of Armenia.
What happens to the MP ? Nothing.
The President specifically asks people, who were planning to protest upon her return at the Yerevan airport, to stand down.
Any member of US Government who criticizes any US government member outside of US is verbally savaged, and rightly so.
I am sure you have heard the American expression “Politics stops at the water’s edge”, No ?
To wit: Protesters in Yerevan block a major thoroughfare for 2 weeks.
What happens ? Nothing much.
Police patiently wait, after initial dispersal with benign water cannons, for the protesters to get tired and leave voluntarily.
Which they do.
Try to criticize any of the number of the special “protected” classes in US: see what happens.
Try to block _any_ street in any city of USA without a permit: see what happens.
Try to resist being arrested by cops: push them, hit them, kick them. See what happens.
btw: It is very magnanimous of you to grant posters the entitlement of their opinion. Otherwise nobody would know about it.
(I myself thought that the moderators of ArmenianWeekly are the ones who grant permission to posters to publish their opinions: but what do I know)
One more:
Try to imagine what would happen if a member of US Congress promised “not to shoot” members of US Supreme Court.
How long before he/she was ejected from Congress and how long before US Secret Service had a “talk” with him/her ?
Yes: a member of RoA Parliament publicly promised “not to shoot” members of RoA’s Constitutional Court.
What happened to her ?
Nothing.
[Opposition representative promises “not to shoot Constitutional Court members” ]
http://news.am/eng/news/144654.html
“Protesters in Yerevan block a major thoroughfare for 2 weeks. What happens? Nothing much.” On the contrary, a whole lot happened. As usual, you’re denying how the Yerevan police attempted to suppress those peaceful protesters as soon as they arrived onto Baghramyan Avenue during the early stages of the “Electric Yerevan” protest. And how did they attempt to suppress these peaceful protesters? They did this thru the use of violence. They even proceeded to attack the news reporters who were covering these events. This is certainly not the definition of benign.