The geography of the Karabakh peace process

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Sunday July 19, 2009

Negotiations on Karabakh could be illustrated as a simple pendulum moving back and forth from the point of rest at 3, equivalent to the status quo. In that case 1 could represent a return to status quo ante before the conflict (Karabakh inside Azerbaijan); 2, a transitional point in such a return, such as the 1997 "stage-by-stage" proposal or the Madrid principles; 5, formalization of Karabakh's separation from Azerbaijan; and 4, a transitional point to such an eventuality that a new referendum on status or unilateral recognition of Karabakh's independence could provide. Emil Sanamyan

Related Articles

Madrid principles put Armenia on verge of Lisbon 2

Mediators play down prospects of early Karabakh settlement

Washington - Even for those following the Karabakh negotiations closely, the convoluted jargon developed in the peace process can sound like a geography quiz.

In the last several years alone, the Minsk Group troika went through the Prague process and Rambouillet round to develop the Madrid principles only to see Russia seal a Meiendorf declaration.

The geographic associations help provide some organization to the long process and also add color to otherwise repetitive protocol events.

Below is the geography of the main stages of the Karabakh peace process:

1991 - Zheleznovodsk (Russia) declaration

1992 - Minsk Group launched

1992 - Tehran declaration

1992 - Villa Madama (Italy) talks commence

1994 - Bishkek protocol signed

1994 - Budapest summit declaration

1996 - Lisbon summit statement

1997 - Denver statement

2001 - Key West summit

2004 - Prague process begins 

2006 - Rambouillet round held

2007 - Madrid principles submitted

2008 - Meiendorf (Moscow) declaration

2009 - L'Aquila (Italy) statement

Editor's note: For a discussion of the various stages of the negotiations, with a helpful table, see Tatul Hakobyan's "Mediators play down prospects of early Karabakh settlement