RFE/RL once again confirms that this time round, there really is the chance of a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed mainly Armenian inhabited territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
Karabakh Peace Deal in Sight
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CATEGORY RESULTS
Opposition leader says “Karabakh Opposed to Phased Peace Deal”
Yesterday, RFE/RL reported that Armenia and Azerbaijan are “close to finalizing a peace deal” over the disputed mainly-Armenian populated territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Today, ArmeniaLiberty reports that a senior opposition figure says that the authorities in Stepanakert are opposed to the idea of a “phased peace deal.”
Close (Again) to Karabakh Peace?
RFE/RL reports that Armenia and Azerbaijan are close to finalizing a peace deal as early as the end of this year. While this sounds too fantastic, rumors to this effect have been circulating around Yerevan since the end of last year. In the spring, high profile public comments from the Armenian President and Defense Minister confirmed Yerevan’s position that “painful concessions are necessary for peace” in order to achieve a final solution to the “frozen conflict” over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
An Arms Race in the South Caucasus?
Agence France Press (AFP) reports that the Azerbaijani military budget has increased by 70 per cent this year to $300 million, largely as a result of increased oil revenues. The largest of the three South Caucasus republics inauguarated a multi-billion oil pipeline from Baku to the Turkish port of Ceyhan last month. AFP says the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will bring in as much as $160 billion into the impoverished country over the next 30 years.
South Caucasus Parliamentary Assembly
ArmenPress reports that Nino Burjanadze, Speaker of the Georgian parliament, Deputy Armenian National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosian, and Siyavush Novruzov, a parliament member from Azerbaijan’s ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party, have signed a tripartite memorandum to establish a regional Parliamentary Assembly in the South Caucasus.