Monday, August 8, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

A Nagorno-Karabakh-Kosovo Connection?

by Asbarez Staff
December 14, 2007
in News
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

“Precedents have certain influence in international relations irrespective of our will. Their reoccurrence becomes the basis of international law as time passes.”
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian

On December 10 negotiations between the Kosovo Albanians and the Serbian leadership were formally declared dead, as a United Nations deadline for agreement over Kosovo was meant to expire. It is expected that this may lead to further bloodshed. It is also expected that Kosovo will declare independence early next year. The failure of an agreement over the independence of Kosovo is attributed to the intransigence of Serbia and Russia.
Serbs form 7 percent of Kosovo’s population. For the Serbs, it is an emotional loss of history and culture. There are Serbian Orthodox Monasteries and shrines scattered all around Kosovo. Losing Kosovo is a blow to Serbian national pride. What is surprising is Russia’s stance in this conflict. On the one hand the Kosovo Model would inspire Russia’s in the Georgian breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to secede. However it would also legitimize the aspirations of Chechens who have been struggling for independence for the Russian Republic of Chechnya. For the Putin government maintaining territorial integrity is a crucial part of maintaining a strong and united state.
Does the right to self-determination for a people supersede all other considerations? Does it supersede what nations like to preserve as territorial integrity? Paradoxically the European Union as well as the United States have been actively promoting independence for Kosovo. This has pitted the United States and Russia on opposite sides of the issue.
Are there similarities between the Kosovo precedent and the case for Nagorno’sKarabakh?
There is one sacrosanct similarity for the people of Kosovo and the people of Nagorno ‘s Karabakh. The right to self’sdetermination: the inalienable right of a given people to determine its own faith . However, the similarities end there. Any misguided notion that independence for Kosovo could open the gates to an independent Nagorno’sKarabakh is false. Conversely, the failure by Kosovo to gain independence does not mean that the chances for Nagorno-Karabakh to become independent will vanish.
Though it is true that Serbia was the aggressor in Kosovo, and Azerbaijan was the aggressor in Nagorno’sKarabakh; that both Serbia and Azerbaijan had limited sovereignty over Kosovo and Nagorno’sKarabakh respectively; and that both Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh were 90 percent inhabited by ethnic Kosovar Albanians and Armenia’s respectively.
The aspirations of the people of Nagrono’sKarabakh will not be deterred or derailed by the faith of the Kosovo Model. According to Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, “All conflicts are unique in their nature, and the resolution of each of them can be individual, especially considering that the talks on Nagorno’sKarabakh are held in the framework of the principle of self-determination.”.
The main difference distinguishing the case for Nagorno’sKarabakh is that its people, after being subjected to the fiercest and most brutal attack by Azerbaijan, rose against the aggressor and single-handedly fought to save itself from being slaughtered, and won. The fact that the people of Nagrono’sKarabakh survived the aggression, voted to embrace freedom from dominance and established a western style democratic government with democratic institutions gives them the right to determine their future as a people.
A government spokesman in Kosovo, Skender Hyseni, said Monday “Kosovo and the people of Kosovo urgently need clarity on their future”. Undoubtedly the people of Nagorno-Karabakh deserve clarity in their future as well. It may not be as urgent a need, because Nagorno-Karabakh is de Facto independent, government institutions are in place, and there is no doubt in anybody’s mind that Nagorno-Karabakh is never going back under Azeri rule. While in Pristina, a large segment of the ethnic Albanian population, as well as the government itself, is in a kind of limbo, waiting for independence; the people of Nagorno-Karabakh do not seem to be concerned about the future prospects for the nation and are busy at work at nation building.
Kushtrim Mahmutaj, who as a teen took up a gun with the guerrilla army that fought Serbian Forces nearly a decade ago, is concerned “We have been very patient until now, but we fought and died just to establish a country. We could lose control in a second.” It is different for Nagorno-Karabakh, for the young men who fought and died to save their homeland from obliteration, there is no fear that control might be lost in a second, for the Nagorno-Karabakh Army is known to be the best trained and war hardened army in the Caucuses.
Finally, whereas in the Kosovo Model, politicians have failed to deliver a functioning government, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh just elected their third president and Government institutions are fully functional, with major projects underway, rebuilding the infrastructure with local as well as outside help. One would think that despite its meager means, and despite an ongoing blockade, Nagorno-Karabakh appears to be unfazed by ongoing negotiations that seem to be going nowhere, and from which Nagorno-Karabakh is markedly absent.
Unlike Kosovo, US led forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization did not bomb Azeri troops out of Nagorno’sKarabakh; Nagorno’sKarabakh is not being governed by the United Nations; the west is not supporting its bid for statehood; International courts are not prosecuting Azeri leaders as war criminals for the pogroms committed in Sumgayit and the indiscriminate bombardment of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is the people of Nagorno’sKarabakh that have succeeded in creating de facto independence, rebuilding a war ravaged country.
What the West should be worried about in both the case for Kosovo and Nagorno’sKarabakh is the new round of bloodshed and conflict that could be generated by unresolved conflicts. The right to self determination should supersede territorial integrity if the world should become devoid of conflict. The race to arms by Azerbaijan, and its warmongering calls for war should be taken seriously by the West. If Azerbaijan were to engage in resolving the conflict by military means, the repercussions could destabilize the whole region. It would also disrupt the grand designs for Azeri oil and endanger the proposed pipeline as well as the railway that are bypassing Armenia. It should also be a warning to the people of Nagorno’sKarabakh. If it is Azerbaijan’s intention to resolve the conflict by military means, then Nagorno’sKarabakh should freeze all negotiations and declare independence . Now that’s a Kosovar lead to follow.

Asbarez Staff

Asbarez Staff

Next Post

Armenia's President Should be Guarantor of Country's Constitutional Norm, Announces Hovannesian at ARF Day Celebration

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

As Ankara Warns Yerevan, Erdogan Declares Artsakh Part of Azerbaijan

As Ankara Warns Yerevan, Erdogan Declares Artsakh Part of Azerbaijan

3 hours ago
Massis Kabob to Open First Standalone Restaurant in Glendale

Massis Kabob to Open First Standalone Restaurant in Glendale

3 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • August 8, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to