Tweet
ARMENIA THREATENS AZERBAIJAN WITH KARABAKH RECOGNITION
Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 24 2009
Turkey
Armenia threatened to recognize the Azerbaijani enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state if Baku takes military action
to reclaim the territory.
"Armenia so far has not recognized the independence of Karabakh
for only one reason - so that it does not become an obstacle in the
process of peace negotiations," Armenian Presidential Spokesman Samvel
Farmanian said in a statement. "If peace talks fail and military
actions begin, nothing will prevent Armenia from recognizing the
independence of Karabakh," he said.
Tensions over the disputed region have risen after Armenia and close
Azerbaijani ally Turkey signed an historic deal to establish diplomatic
ties and re-open their border.
On Saturday, Azerbaijani news agencies quoted President Ilham Aliyev
as saying that Baku has the right to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force
if ongoing peace talks fail to produce any results.
Aliyev met with his Armenian counterpart Serge Sarkisian in Germany
on Sunday for the sixth round of talks this year on resolving the
conflict.
International mediators said in a statement after the talks that
"progress was made" but that "some issues still remain open."
Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in
the early 1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a cease-fire line in
and around Nagorno-Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.
Azerbaijani media reported Monday that an Azerbaijani civilian
had been shot dead by Armenian forces near the de facto border with
Nagorno-Karabakh over the weekend, but the rebel region's armed forces
denied the reports.
Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 24 2009
Turkey
Armenia threatened to recognize the Azerbaijani enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state if Baku takes military action
to reclaim the territory.
"Armenia so far has not recognized the independence of Karabakh
for only one reason - so that it does not become an obstacle in the
process of peace negotiations," Armenian Presidential Spokesman Samvel
Farmanian said in a statement. "If peace talks fail and military
actions begin, nothing will prevent Armenia from recognizing the
independence of Karabakh," he said.
Tensions over the disputed region have risen after Armenia and close
Azerbaijani ally Turkey signed an historic deal to establish diplomatic
ties and re-open their border.
On Saturday, Azerbaijani news agencies quoted President Ilham Aliyev
as saying that Baku has the right to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force
if ongoing peace talks fail to produce any results.
Aliyev met with his Armenian counterpart Serge Sarkisian in Germany
on Sunday for the sixth round of talks this year on resolving the
conflict.
International mediators said in a statement after the talks that
"progress was made" but that "some issues still remain open."
Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in
the early 1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a cease-fire line in
and around Nagorno-Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.
Azerbaijani media reported Monday that an Azerbaijani civilian
had been shot dead by Armenian forces near the de facto border with
Nagorno-Karabakh over the weekend, but the rebel region's armed forces
denied the reports.