ELYA AGHAJANYAN
between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan , and the peak of these meetings came up in 2001 . Robert Kocharyan , the former NK leader , was the president of Armenia at this time , and decided that he is fully aware of the issue and can negotiate on behalf of the NK . The representatives of the NK were not considered as a negotiating side . Thus , in this period , Aliyev was resolute towards the conflict resolution process , and the result of it should have been the agreement on the territorial swap between Armenia and Azerbaijan noted above . However , the Key West negotiations were also doomed to failure , and Azerbaijan did not agree with the proposal .
Nevertheless , Robert Kocharyan , in his books , claims that Heydar Aliyev has decided to sign an agreement , but a day before his visit to the US , his family , and particularly his son convinced him not to sign the agreement . His relatives specifically claimed that he is a “ national hero ” of Azerbaijan , and this step would have affected his and his family ’ s legitimacy negatively . 63 Thus , until 2004 , there were no significant developments in the peace process . At that time , one of the important things in Azerbaijan ' s internal political life was the question of the successful transition of power from father to son .
On the whole , Heydar Aliyev ’ s stance towards the peace process can be discussed in the framework of both conflict management and conflict resolution mechanisms . During the first stage , he was more inclined towards managing the conflict than resolving it ( if the conditions were appropriate ). The second stage shows that his position towards the peace process shifted toward conflict resolution . At this time , he intended to wait and keep the conflict unresolved , while trying to isolate Armenia . He never excluded that the resolution of the dispute would have been the first step of two country ’ s economic cooperation . Nevertheless , his efforts did not result in a resolution of the conflict .
Strategic Patience : Ilham Aliyev ’ s Presidency ( 2003-2019 )
In 2003 , presidential elections were held in Azerbaijan and Ilham Aliyev , Heydar Aliyev ’ s son , came to power . Thus , Ilham Aliyev ’ s era began , which can be differentiated from his predecessors ’ periods with its completely different rhetoric towards the peace process and Armenia per se . It became a process where he strove to make Azerbaijan stronger and then compel Armenia to submit . Thus , it is interesting to see the main
63 Robert Kocharyan , Life and Freedom : Autobiography of the Ex-President of Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh ( Yerevan : Eastern Armenian Edition , 2019 ), 387 . 68