War Report, No. 56, November 1997
(c) Copyright: The Institute for War and Peace Reporting 1997

Nagorno Karabakh: A Time for Thoughtfulness?

Beneath the surface, new and possibly constructive positions are being tested

By Hratch Tchilingirian

The conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over Nagorno Karabakh has resisted attempts at a solution since the Karabakh Armenians' independence movement emerged in 1988. Over two dozen OSCE sponsored negotiations, initiated since 1992, have failed to resolve the oldest conflict in the former Soviet Union. The last formal talks between the parties to the conflict under the auspices of the Minsk Group were almost a year ago. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians are as far apart from each other on key issues as they were five years.

Oxford Analytica Daily Brief Oct 1, 1997

ARMENIA: Foreign Relations

[Hratch Tchilingirian]

A senior presidential foreign policy adviser resigned last month at a time when Armenia has been mounting a relatively successful effort to build its international ties.

Frontier (Keston Institute, Oxford) June-August 1996 pp. 12-14

LATE HARVEST
Armenia's new church leader, Karekin I, must heal the rifts within the Armenian Church before he can plan for the future, writes Hratch Tchilingirian

In April 1995, the new Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church was elected in Echmiadzin, Armenia. Almost 9 million Armenians in the republic, the 'near abroad', and the diaspora were represented a the ceremony by 400 delegates from over 32 countries. The event represented many historical firsts. The National Ecclesiastical Assembly, the highest legislative body of the Armenian Church, composed of 26 per cent clergy and 74 per cent lay people) was convening for the first time in 40 years. The election was taking place for the first time in a free and independent Republic of Armenia. For the first time in history, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, in Lebanon, was elected Catholicos of All Armenians in Echmiadzin. The President of Armenia addressed the NEA for the first time and witnessed the enthronement of the new Catholicos.

The Armenian Reporter (New York), 10 May 1997

BOOK REVIEW

Hayagerdum yev Mangavarjutiun [Armenian-formation and Pedagogy]. By Bebo Simonian. Beirut: Shirak Press. 1996. 360p.

By Hratch Tchilingirian

Preservation ofthe Armenian identity (hayabahbanum) is one of the mosttalked-about subjects in the Armenian Diaspora; One could even say that "hayabahbanum" has been the raison d'etre of the Diaspora, at least until the independence of Armenia.

War Report, No. 50, April 1997
(c) Copyright: The Institute for War and Peace Reporting 1997

Internationalising the Enclave

By Hratch Tchilingirian

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh was transformed from a domestic Soviet conflict into an international issue. Besides Russia, a number of countries--including regional players such as Turkey and Iran--and international organisations proposed various unsuccessful initiatives. The most important of these, if not the most successful, has been the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which, since the summer of 1992, has been actively facilitating negotiations in the form of its 11-state Minsk Group, whose co-chairmanship became a triumvirate of Russia, France and the US earlier this year.

Armenian International Magazine (AIM) March-April 1997 pp30-32

Playing with Tigers
Armenia Looks East for Trade and Investment

by Hratch Tchilingirian

"Here in Asia, we are spoiled. We have not seen any political difficulties for a long time. The Far Easterners in general are not really interested in politics. Their main aim is business and how to increase productivity. This is why this region has been growing at a very fast pace. Everybody is interested in making money. Economics comes before politics," observes Vartan Keshishian, President of Hong Kong-based Checkmate Industries.

War Report, No. 50, April 1997
(c) Copyright: The Institute for War and Peace Reporting 1997

ARMENIA: REBOOTING THE POLITICAL HARD DRIVE
The Karabakh leader becomes Armenia’s new prime minister

by Hratch Tchilingirian

On March 20 President Levon Ter-Petrossian named the leader of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, Robert Kocharian, 43, as Armenia's new prime minister. He replaces Armen Sarkissian who resigned on March 6 owing to serious illness.

(c) Copyright Oxford Analytica 1996 - December 6, 1996

ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN: Nagorno-Karabakh Impasse

[Hratch Tchilingirian]

The Lisbon summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which ended on December 3, failed to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.