Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held face-to-face talks for about two hours on June 4 in St. Petersburg, Russia, raising hopes for positive movement in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.
For most television viewers, Eurovision 2009, with all its spangled costumes and schmaltzy tunes, was nothing more than a light-hearted, fun-filled singing contest. But for those watching in Armenia and Azerbaijan, the show became another front in the long-running struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh.
While international mediators give an upbeat assessment to the May 8 tête-à -tête between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, within Azerbaijan and Armenia there is a scarcity of optimism.
Russian-Armenian businessman Levon Hairapetian, a native of the Karabakh village of Vank, financed the ceremonies. Each couple received a payment of $2,000; newlyweds living in villages received a cow. That financial support will continue with each child born: couples will receive $2,000 for their first child, $3,000 for a second child, and increasing sums up to $100,000 for a seventh child.
Russian-Armenian businessman Levon Hairapetian, a native of the Karabakh village of Vank, financed the ceremonies. Each couple received a payment of $2,000; newlyweds living in villages received a cow. That financial support will continue with each child born: couples will receive $2,000 for their first child, $3,000 for a second child, and increasing sums up to $100,000 for a seventh child.
Turkey is sponsoring additional Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations on the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in an apparent effort to hasten the normalization of its historically strained ties with Armenia.
Confronted with widespread international criticism over its actions in Georgia, Russia is eager to show that it can still serve as a peace broker the post-Soviet area. A primary Kremlin aim appears to be checking any further advance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Kurdish issue, specifically the matter of establishing a homeland for Kurds, has complicated efforts to stabilize Iraq. Now, there is growing concern among international experts that the Kurdish question could become a source of tension, and possibly conflict in the South Caucasus.
EU officials touring the South Caucasus this week were confronted by heated words from President Ilham Aliyev, who told them Azerbaijan is ready to "wage war" with neighboring Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mediators seeking to break the deadlock surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks believe they have developed "just and constructive solutions" to existing negotiating dilemmas. However, the initial responses from Armenia and Azerbaijan indicate that a peace deal is not imminent.
