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US congressman Michael E. McMahon: Both USA and Russia are interested in adjusting the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

24 November 2009 08:23 (UTC +04:00)

- How would you estimate the current development in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the Armenia-Turkey normalization?

- The basic truth of a question, nevertheless, is that Turkey supports close relations with Azerbaijan, and within many decades a problem of communications between Turkey and Armenia has been adhered to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. It would be naÃ¯ve to think that the signing of the protocols in October would eliminate this historical context.
A timeline still has to be set for the protocols to be ratified by Turkish or Armenian governments. But by this I donâ€™t mean, however, that the signing in Switzerland was not a huge step forward for both countries.
Ultimately, Turkey and Armenia have been working together on this issue, and I believe that the opening of the border would do wonders for Armeniaâ€™s economy and political outlook. Turkey, which has asked for nothing in return, is a critical US ally. And if the protocol documents can bring Armenia closer to the West and at the same time closer to a political solution to resolving Nagorno-Karabakh, I would support that.

- There are beliefs in the region that the â€œkeyâ€ countries play an important role in conflicts adjustment. Barak Obama and Dmitri Medvedev have met again, discussing numerous issues, including frozen conflicts and security. How do you see the cooperation between US and Russia on these issues?

- It is critical that the United States and Russia maintain an open dialogue and work together to prevent nuclear dangers throughout the world. For example, global nonproliferation efforts cannot succeed without a new START treaty by the December deadline. Both the United States and Russia, due to their roles throughout the later twentieth century as global energy suppliers and leaders in arms sales, hold an incredible amount of stock in this fight. Their coordinated efforts to monitor the actions of other parties are not only beneficial, but necessary for global security.
Global nonproliferation, however, is not the only mutual area of interest for these two countries. They also share an interest in the Caucuses, as well, and I am fully supportive of the protocols being signed between Turkey and Armenia. As this process moves forward, Azerbaijan will play a role as well. In Ankara, Philip Gordon mentioned that it is unlikely that progress between Armenia and Turkey will occur without progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Both USA and Russia are interested in adjusting the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Again, cooperation between the United States and Russia will pave the road to peace in this region and greater energy security that reaches far beyond the Caucuses.

- It has been more than one year after the Georgia war, do you think there are still risks for new tensions present in the region?

- The conflict in Georgia has unfortunately alienated many of our Eastern European allies and increased instability in not just that country, but in the Ukraine and in many other former Soviet satellites. I whole-heartedly believe that these nations are autonomous and must be treated as such. There have been several reports in the past few days indicating that tensions are growing in this region. The Georgian people are incredibly divided over their allegiances and there seems to be no sign of an ease in this tension. What I find to be the most unfortunate aspect of this conflict is that both sides acted brashly and have widened an already existing gap. This fact, of course, also leaves the United States in a difficult position, as well.
I feel that the United States can play a constructive role in this conflict through greater cooperation with Russia. I would stress that the situation in Georgia is incredibly fragile, so such talks with Russia should be conducted away from the public eye in order to avoid alienating any of the parties and increasing tensions further. I do feel, however, that the United States, Russia and Georgia should work together to address the conflict and the future of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. As it stands, the heightened tensions are only creating an incredible strain on the international community and the Georgian people.