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BAKU: Azeri official blames mediators for fruitless talks

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  • BAKU: Azeri official blames mediators for fruitless talks

    AZERI OFFICIAL BLAMES MEDIATORS FOR FRUITLESS TALKS

    Assa-Irada
    July 21 2008
    Azerbaijan

    The OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan
    Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict are holding fruitless discussions,
    a senior Azerbaijani official said. The head of the Presidents
    Office international relations department, Novruz Mammadov, told the
    Baku-based AOV channel that nonetheless, he hoped for more substantial
    steps to be taken by the Minsk Group (MG) co-chairs at their upcoming
    meeting in Moscow at the end of July. The co-chairs should be aware
    that the responsibility for the endless extension of peace talks and
    lack of any result rests with them.

    Therefore, they should not be interested in this extension, he
    said. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has claimed that Azerbaijans
    criticism of the MG co-chairmen was a little trick. In doing so,
    Azerbaijan is trying to somewhat soften the mediators demands, said
    Sarkisian, who is himself known for using such tools. Commenting on
    Armenias calling Azerbaijan an avenger and its claims on the latters
    militarist statements, Mammadov said this was a step designated for
    Yerevans domestic policy. He said Armenias course aimed at preserving
    internal stability is erroneous, and if it fails to rectify this
    mistake, this could have tragic ramifications for the neighboring
    country. With regard to US co-chair Matthew Bryzas welcoming both
    conflicting sides adherence to the peace process, Mammadov said this
    was a result of only Bakus proper stance. As for Armenia, this country
    has never made any effort to ensure peace and stability. The fact
    that full-scale military action has not flared up between the sides to
    this day is the merit of only Azerbaijan, Mammadov added. Azerbaijan
    and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a
    cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh
    and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international
    law. Peace talks have been fruitless so far.
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