Bryza on Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan

[ 02 May 2009 12:35 ]
“We have a fair and balanced proposal on the table”

Washington. Zaur Hasanov – APA. Adviser to US Secretary of State on European and Euarsian Affairs, OSCE Minsk Group US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza’s interview to APA.

– In the first days of the next week, the MFA of Azerbaijan and Armenia will be in Washington. Is it coincidence or you are setting up a meeting with the ministers?

– Of course, it is not a coincidence. Secretary of State Clinton as well as the President have both said they want to help bring about significant breakthrough in Naqorno-Karabakh peace process. So we have both foreign ministers here having separate meetings with our Secretary of State and we, the Co-Chairs are preparing for the meetings of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia on May 7 in Prague.

– Many think thanks in Washington are raising a concern about the Turkish-Russian rapprochement. They think that Russia helps Turks to find a deal with Armenia but instead may ask Turks to halt any future energy pipeline projects which are planned to bypass Russia. Do you have the same concern?

– The experts have a right to tell their opinions. As a person who is responsible for our foreign policy toward this region, I can say that Turkey is a key ally and one of our closest friends in the world and is reliable. Turkey should have decent, normal relations with Russia. And we all know that for years there have been very deep business relationships between Turkey and Russia. For example, projects like Blue Stream which aimed to strengthen Russia’s monopoly over gas transit to Europe. But Turkey has been a very active and reliable partner and helped Europe to diversify its energy supplies, both oil and gas, through pipelines linked primarily to Azerbaijan, but also, perhaps, eventually to Turkmenistan and Iraq. So whatever Russia’s ambitions may be, the U.S.-Turkey strategic partnership is strong and will stay strong. Finally, when it comes to Nagorno-Karabakh, all of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries are one team and are working together to deliver a breakthrough. Russia will no be able to do it alone. In fact, none of the Co-Chair countries will be able to do it alone; we all have to work together.

– Is there any remark about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the roadmap announced between Turkey and Armenia recently?

– I am not going to comment on the content of the bilateral agreement between two countries. But what I can say is that there are two processes: Nagorno-Karabakh, or Azerbaijani-Armenian relations, and a separate one for Turkey-Armenian relations. They are two separate processes. In fact, we anticipate they both will move forward simultaneously but at different speeds. We may have more progress on one at one time, and it may slow down at another time. They are separate processes moving forward in parallel, but at different speeds. So I would anticipate that the roadmap focuses on Turkey-Armenian relations. But the last point I am making is that the diplomatic and psychological climate in the region will improve due to Turkey-Armenian normalization. And this will also improve the climate for the Nagorno-Karabakh process.

– Are you confident that the border opening will change the climate and help foster the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

– In diplomacy there is no guarantee except on international legal issues when there are legal guarantees. What we have is a strong opinion by the U.S. in this case, if Turkey-Armenian normalization moves forward, by the way I am not talking about the opening of border, border opening will happen later in the normalization process, but as this normalization process between Turkey and Armenia begins and goes forward, we believe we will see that the prospect for a solution to Nagorny Karabakh conflict will improve. But you don’t have to trust me now. All we can ask is to give us Co-Chairs some times, several months, to work with the parties to achieve a breakthrough. And if we reach the breakthrough maybe next week in Prague or later on in Saint Petersburg, you will know that we are right. Then, every side will be able to move forward together in confidence. If we don’t achieve a breakthrough, if we are wrong, then we know that Azerbaijan will react. So, our job is to focus all our efforts on achieving the breakthrough so everything can move forward smoothly.

– Do you have any document on table which presidents can sign and reach the breakthrough in Prague?

– I don’t want to suggest that any document may be signed at that particular meeting. The breakthrough, I am hoping for, does not necessarily require the signing of any documents. We need presidents to agree on a few remaining concepts of our Basic Principals, which will constitute the breakthrough. I don’t think that there is any need to anticipate any document to be signed at this point. The breakthrough, when negotiating the peace agreement, can come in all kind of forms. You can’t get anything on paper unless you worked it out intellectually. The Madrid documents are the last version of the Basic Principals is proposed by the Co-Chairs and they reflect several years of negotiations. From our perspective, our suggestions, in the form of Madrid Documents, remain on the table. We have been working with the presidents and foreign ministers to improve that document and its recommendations, and bring sides closer together. The foundation of our work is the Madrid Document.

– Ho do you charcaterize the US-Azerbaijan relations?

– The relationship between Azerbaijan and the USA is a friendship and strategic partnership, and we want to deepen it. We’ve got a whole range of areas where we need to work. Our strategic partnership has been based on security, energy, (where Azerbaijan is one of the important countries anywhere in helping Europe to diversify it supplies of natural gas and oil. Of course, the expansion of the political and economic freedom within Azerbaijan is also important. All those issues are of great importance and are interrelated, and we need to see progress in all three areas at the same time. Right now we are making a major push at the highest level to help to Azerbaijan to address the most important problem, which is the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We have a fair and balanced proposal on the table, which, when implemented will led to return of territories, to return of IDP’s and refugees, and which will bring a sense of security to Armenian and other residents of NK and surrounding territories, and will have a positive impact on stimulating economic growth and prosperity, and lay a foundation for long-term peace.