The meeting of Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s presidents, in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, on June 24, did not produce the hoped-for signed document on the basic principles that are to lead to a fuller document leading to a peaceful resolution of what is now a two-decades long conflict. The Armenian side, which won the military battles, continues to insist that there is no alternative to a negotiated solution. The Azerbaijani side talks about its increased military budget. In this context, the Kazan meeting was both a source of hope and cynicism. The Civilitas Foundation hosted two roundtable discussions with Caucasus analysts on the expectations and the realities. The six — three from within Armenia, Alexander Iskandaryan of the Caucasus Institute, Historian Vahram Ter-Matevosyan and Tevan Poghosyan of the International Center for Human Development, and three from international organizations, Liz Fuller of Radio Free Europe, Laurence Broers of Conciliation Resources and Lawrence Sheets of the International Crisis Group — presented their thoughts as did former Minsk Group American co-Chair Carey Cavanaugh. This pilot program is one of the types of programs being planned for the soon-to-be launched news and research-based live internet channel.
Before and After Kazan…