German paper chides Garabagh ‘independence’
The Berlin-based
Berliner Zeitung daily newspaper has ridiculed separatists’
announcing the Armenia-occupied Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh region of
Azerbaijan as "independent."
"Despite everything, Upper Garabagh wants to be independent. The republic has a president, but no country recognizes him," the publication said.
Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory since the early 1990s. As a result of this aggression, the separatist regime in the occupied Upper Garabagh region proclaimed so-called independence in 1991. The declaration of "independence," which is, itself, a blatant violation of international law, has not been recognized by any country, to date.
Berliner Zeitung said that the leader of the self-proclaimed Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic Bako Saakian says "our uniting with Armenia is not being discussed with our brethren" and claims, having paused briefly: "Upper Garabagh has been an independent state for several years." Saakian’s facial expression is very serious as he says this. However, such statements cause either irony or laughs in the whole world and among "the country’s" diplomats, Berliner Zeitung said.
The newspaper said, further, that Upper Garabagh is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has a population of 140,000, but its territory is the size of two Saarland squares. Since 1994, Upper Garabagh has been striving for independence, but, to the resentment of Bako Saakian, the world community is neglecting these calls.
The story says the "capital" of the self-proclaimed republic is Stepanakert (Khankandi), but all payments are made here with Armenian currency, and cars with Armenian license plates and passports are in use.
Also, the paper points out that the "republic" is located in one of the explosive hotspots of the world – the Caucasus. "The United States, the European Union and Russia are vying for energy resources here, while the Caucasus peoples are turning each other’s lives into hell."
The Berliner Zeitung reporter reminded that Upper Garabagh was also part of Azerbaijan during the Soviet times, but it had autonomy and was predominantly populated by Armenians.
"After independence was declared in 1991 [by the former Soviet republics], a bloody civil war erupted in the region. As a result, Upper Garabagh insurgents, aided by the Armenian military, squeezed Azerbaijan’s armed forces from there. Afterwards, Armenia did not annex Upper Garabagh, and an idea was borne in some people’s minds in Stepanakert that Upper Garabagh could become an independent republic (they were not even ashamed of the fact that the world community will view these attempts as nationalist euphoria)."
Some military analysts say Garabagh could emerge as the next "bomb" in the Caucasus. Georgi Petrosyan, who considers himself Upper Garabagh’s "foreign minister", says the self-styled republic is afraid of war "with Azerbaijan." He is confident that the "republic" will be recognized, but is not inclined to cite a specific timeframe for this.
Petrosyan’s main task today is to boost relations with the diaspora abroad. According to the German paper, the Armenian lobby channels millions of dollars to the Caucasus region every year.
An officer serving in a Khankandi military unit says: "We train every day - the soldiers must be ready any moment. He said shootings on the frontline are frequent there, claiming that the skirmishes take place despite the fact that "the conflict over Upper Garabagh has been resolved and Garabagh has won."
Berliner Zeitung noted, however, that this is not the case in terms of international law. It said that, according to pundits, Upper Garabagh should either be "a part of Armenia" or gain an autonomy within Azerbaijan, but, in no case can it be an independent state.*
"Despite everything, Upper Garabagh wants to be independent. The republic has a president, but no country recognizes him," the publication said.
Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory since the early 1990s. As a result of this aggression, the separatist regime in the occupied Upper Garabagh region proclaimed so-called independence in 1991. The declaration of "independence," which is, itself, a blatant violation of international law, has not been recognized by any country, to date.
Berliner Zeitung said that the leader of the self-proclaimed Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic Bako Saakian says "our uniting with Armenia is not being discussed with our brethren" and claims, having paused briefly: "Upper Garabagh has been an independent state for several years." Saakian’s facial expression is very serious as he says this. However, such statements cause either irony or laughs in the whole world and among "the country’s" diplomats, Berliner Zeitung said.
The newspaper said, further, that Upper Garabagh is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has a population of 140,000, but its territory is the size of two Saarland squares. Since 1994, Upper Garabagh has been striving for independence, but, to the resentment of Bako Saakian, the world community is neglecting these calls.
The story says the "capital" of the self-proclaimed republic is Stepanakert (Khankandi), but all payments are made here with Armenian currency, and cars with Armenian license plates and passports are in use.
Also, the paper points out that the "republic" is located in one of the explosive hotspots of the world – the Caucasus. "The United States, the European Union and Russia are vying for energy resources here, while the Caucasus peoples are turning each other’s lives into hell."
The Berliner Zeitung reporter reminded that Upper Garabagh was also part of Azerbaijan during the Soviet times, but it had autonomy and was predominantly populated by Armenians.
"After independence was declared in 1991 [by the former Soviet republics], a bloody civil war erupted in the region. As a result, Upper Garabagh insurgents, aided by the Armenian military, squeezed Azerbaijan’s armed forces from there. Afterwards, Armenia did not annex Upper Garabagh, and an idea was borne in some people’s minds in Stepanakert that Upper Garabagh could become an independent republic (they were not even ashamed of the fact that the world community will view these attempts as nationalist euphoria)."
Some military analysts say Garabagh could emerge as the next "bomb" in the Caucasus. Georgi Petrosyan, who considers himself Upper Garabagh’s "foreign minister", says the self-styled republic is afraid of war "with Azerbaijan." He is confident that the "republic" will be recognized, but is not inclined to cite a specific timeframe for this.
Petrosyan’s main task today is to boost relations with the diaspora abroad. According to the German paper, the Armenian lobby channels millions of dollars to the Caucasus region every year.
An officer serving in a Khankandi military unit says: "We train every day - the soldiers must be ready any moment. He said shootings on the frontline are frequent there, claiming that the skirmishes take place despite the fact that "the conflict over Upper Garabagh has been resolved and Garabagh has won."
Berliner Zeitung noted, however, that this is not the case in terms of international law. It said that, according to pundits, Upper Garabagh should either be "a part of Armenia" or gain an autonomy within Azerbaijan, but, in no case can it be an independent state.*
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