HAS SERZH SARGSYAN MISLED PEOPLE?

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It turns out that Serzh Sargsyan has misled all those who wanted to get acquainted with the “principles of Madrid” aimed at the regulation of the Karabakh conflict. Earlier in October Serzh Sargsyan stated that the disputed principles are available on the website of an international organization. Although Mr. Sargsyan didn’t give names, supposedly, the organisation was the OSCE because the document had been worked out by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and presented during the OSCE sitting.

Today, reporters asked the head of the OSCE Yerevan Office Sergey Kapinos whether the principles are available on their website.

Mr. Kapinos didn’t want to comment on Sargsyan’s statements. He simply said: “I don’t track the Karabakh issue on the Internet.”

With regard to the Karabakh conflict resolution Sergey Kapinos added that the OSCE Yerevan Office does not deal with the conflict settlement, and he can speak about the issue as a private person.

“The OSCE Minsk Group framework is peculiar since it includes the key actors of the global political process - France, the USA and Russia. All the three co-chairs have a common opinion on the settlement of the Karabakh issue, which is not the case with the mediators of other conflicts. Surely, there are controversies on tactics but the general approach is the same.”

As to the involvement of other countries, in particular Turkey, in the mediation mission, Sergey Kapinos says if this involvement aims to second the Minsk Group format, it is commendable, but if the aim is to hinder the OSCE Minsk Group, it should be discarded.

OSCE WILL PIERCE STONE IN ARMENIA

The OSCE Yerevan Office is guided by the motto “water pierces stone,” said Mr. Kapinos. He declined to give any assessments of the March 1 events, February 19 presidential election, post-election developments and political prisoners. He only cited Bernard Shaw: “Democracy is a system which guarantees the mechanism of government and pursuit of interests which the society deserves.” I fully agree with Shaw.

Today reporters asked Mr. Kapinos whether the OSCE 2009 report will refer to Armenia’s judicial system, the current situation in the country as well as the post-election developments.

In this respect, Sergey Kapinos spoke about the right to assemblies, noting that “it is an indivisible part of democracy.” Reporters reminded that since March 1 the government has been regularly violating this right, and asked Mr. Kapinos to comment on the government’s behaviour. “If the government violates the law, as the opposition says, the decision of the government should be appealed in court. As far as I know two such decisions on banning rallies have already been disputed, and the court has lifted the ban. The rule of law is above everything” added Kapinos.

Today reporters asked Mr. Kapinos if he does not think that one of the causes of March 1 was the ambiguous report of the OSCE observation mission on the February 19 presidential election, which favoured the intention of the government to clamp down on the opposition’s protest.

“I cannot assess my colleagues and I didn’t observe the elections, but I trust the OSCE/ODIHR observers. As far as I know, their report contained both criticism and progress and yet, in comparison with the previous ones, these elections registered progress.”

“No one has been killed during the previous elections in Armenia. So what do your call progress?” In reply to A1+ Mr. Kapinos said, “It was a real tragedy.”

Anyway, Kapinos is hopeful that the March 1 events will be revealed. He welcomed Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to establish a fact-finding mission to investigate the March 1 events.

In reply to journalists’ question whether the OSCE which has been implementing numerous projects in Armenia, is satisfied with the output of the projects and whether the effectiveness of the OSCE projects depends on the political will of the Armenian Government. Sergey Kapinos said they are not that satisfied but those projects produce positive changes, and they will continue them.

“Surely, governments should demonstrate political will but when changes are determined only by political will, the public motivation to affect social and political events in the country vanishes. Much depends on the maturity of the society.”

Kapinos says that he cannot see any political force in Armenia that pursues the interests of a definite social class.