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Trend, Azerbaijan
July 30 2010
NATO PA not to abandon discussions over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
30.07.2010 19:21
Azerbaijan, Baku, July 30 /Trend, E.Ostapenko/
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly will not abandon the discussions over
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, despite calls by the Armenian
parliament, the press office of the Assembly reported.
"I don't think that the political leadership of the Assembly would not
do it simply because somebody didn't like it, NATO PA press office
told Trend. - There has been a political commitment to go ahead and do
something on this.
NATO PA has discussed the possibility of introducing a resolution at
its next meting in Warsaw in November. And that resolution would be on
something related to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Earlier Friday, 'Armenia Today' news agency published an appeal of
Armenian parliament's speaker Hovik Abrahamyan to NATO PA head John
Taner to refrain from discussions over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
"in connection with a possible report on the Karabakh problem, which
the NATO PA plans to prepare".
NATO PA press office said there are no preparations and there is no
report on Nagorno-Karabakh. However, there are plans to adopt a
resolution at the next meting in Warsaw
They are non-binding policy recommendations based on the deliberations
of the members, the same source said.
"Resolution differs from a report that tries to investigate an issue
and inform people about a particular situation, NATO PA said. It is
just a statement what a collective membership think should be done on
a particular situation."
The Parliamentary Assembly issues resolutions every year. These are
policy recommendations that are debated by the members and approved by
the members.
"There has been a commitment to discuss this issue in Parliamentary
Assembly, and a commitment to have some sort of resolution on it. So,
I suspect that it will go forward," NATO PA said.
The argument of the speaker of the Armenian parliament was that the
discussion over the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement outside the OSCE Minsk
Group could harm the negotiating process.
"We had a meeting in Armenia in March, we discussed this issue and we
had people from the Minsk Group there. So we do discuss this with
them," NATO PA said.
"I don't think it will be our place as a Parliamentary Assembly to
interfere with an existing international process like the Minsk Group
which has been recognized by international community. I think that
what the members would chose is support to Minsk process," the same
source said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United
States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
From: A. Papazian
July 30 2010
NATO PA not to abandon discussions over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
30.07.2010 19:21
Azerbaijan, Baku, July 30 /Trend, E.Ostapenko/
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly will not abandon the discussions over
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, despite calls by the Armenian
parliament, the press office of the Assembly reported.
"I don't think that the political leadership of the Assembly would not
do it simply because somebody didn't like it, NATO PA press office
told Trend. - There has been a political commitment to go ahead and do
something on this.
NATO PA has discussed the possibility of introducing a resolution at
its next meting in Warsaw in November. And that resolution would be on
something related to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Earlier Friday, 'Armenia Today' news agency published an appeal of
Armenian parliament's speaker Hovik Abrahamyan to NATO PA head John
Taner to refrain from discussions over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
"in connection with a possible report on the Karabakh problem, which
the NATO PA plans to prepare".
NATO PA press office said there are no preparations and there is no
report on Nagorno-Karabakh. However, there are plans to adopt a
resolution at the next meting in Warsaw
They are non-binding policy recommendations based on the deliberations
of the members, the same source said.
"Resolution differs from a report that tries to investigate an issue
and inform people about a particular situation, NATO PA said. It is
just a statement what a collective membership think should be done on
a particular situation."
The Parliamentary Assembly issues resolutions every year. These are
policy recommendations that are debated by the members and approved by
the members.
"There has been a commitment to discuss this issue in Parliamentary
Assembly, and a commitment to have some sort of resolution on it. So,
I suspect that it will go forward," NATO PA said.
The argument of the speaker of the Armenian parliament was that the
discussion over the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement outside the OSCE Minsk
Group could harm the negotiating process.
"We had a meeting in Armenia in March, we discussed this issue and we
had people from the Minsk Group there. So we do discuss this with
them," NATO PA said.
"I don't think it will be our place as a Parliamentary Assembly to
interfere with an existing international process like the Minsk Group
which has been recognized by international community. I think that
what the members would chose is support to Minsk process," the same
source said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United
States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
From: A. Papazian