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AZERBAIJAN SENDS OUT NEW SIGNALS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH
Armen Hareyan HULIQ.com
HULIQ.com
June 7 2010
SC
The media in Azerbaijan is fully of the news about it's foreign
minister's meeting in Venice Friday with the Minsk Group co-charis who
mediate the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Seems like a regular meeting and just a phase int the never-ending
negotiation process. However, this time Elmar Mammadyarov speaks of
"signals" and the media is not saying a word about the territorial
integrity.
Until now in the past few months Azerbaijan has been blaming Armenian
for not responding and not taking a clear cut position on the
Madrid Principles to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh problem. Armenia
had initially responded and said Madrid Principles are bases for
continuing negotiations. Azerbaijan itself had not fully accepted it
because it virtually leads to Nagorno Karabakh independence.
Azerbaijan looks the conflict and keeping or losing a territory.
Armenia views it from the point of view of people's right to
self-determination.
Despite wrongly blaming Armenia for being silent on Madrid Principle,
today the foreign minister of Azerbaijan Mr. Mammadyarov admitted that
earlier this year when the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in
Sochi it was proposed to take a "pause" in the meetings, reports APA.
Thus, if there was a mutually agreed pause, what's the talk about
Armenia dragging the process or not responding? Azerbaijan may want
to explain this nuance. Th co-chairs had simply suggested to the
sides to take a break in negotiations.
Now Mr. Mammadyarov talks about "common language" and "signals." We
don't know what he really means by that and if he is willing to go
any further to open the parenthesis, however; so far things look
promising and for the following reasons.
Today the two large online news media sources have published the press
conference of Mr. Mammadyarov and in both of them there is no word
about the threat of war and no word about the territorial integrity.
The extensive coverage of his words to the media can be read in
today's News Azerbaijan and Trend News.
He said that he presented Azerbaijan's position to the co-chairs of
the Minsk group (France, Russia and USA) and asked them to present
position to Armenia. "The co-chairs now will take the signals that
they have received from Azerbaijan to Armenia," Mammadyarov said.
What are those signals? Hopefully they are positive and constructive
ones. News Azerbaijan in its coverage even lists all of the Madrid
Principles which in reality, among other things open a door for
Nagorno Karabakh's independence as they call for a "legally binding
expression of will" of the people in Nagorno Karabakh to decide the
final status. Considering the fact that before the conflict the ration
of the Armenian and Azeri communities of Nagorno Karabakh was 80-20
respectively, it is clearly that the Armenian majority will vote for
its independence. Azerbaijan knows it.
Although, it was just very recently when the top authorities
in Azerbaijan were speaking of waving the flag of Azerbaijan in
Stepanakert as the final solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Armenia responded saying only in Stepanakert's military museum.
If Azerbaijan understands that the Nagorno Karabakh problem is not
a land dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but rather peoples'
rights issue to be able to freely determine their future, then those
"signals" can be viewed as a positive state. But if Azerbaijan still
hopes to see its flag waving in the capital of Nagorno Karabakh as
the final solution, then there is no change in its position.
Hopefully things are positive. To be fair, this time Mr. Mammadyarov
speaks of "common language" that needs to be found. This entails
certain acceptance that common language means a compromise. A
reasonable concessions to reach an honorable peace. Mammadyarov also
added yesterday that "there is no alternative to finding a common
language between neighbors," News Azerbaijan reports in the same place.
It is expected that Armenia will make a response to Azerbaijan's
foreign minister's announcements this week. We will just wait and
see how Armenia responds. From that response we will know what in
reality are those "signals" that Azerbaijan sent to Armenia yesterday.
From: A. Papazian
Armen Hareyan HULIQ.com
HULIQ.com
June 7 2010
SC
The media in Azerbaijan is fully of the news about it's foreign
minister's meeting in Venice Friday with the Minsk Group co-charis who
mediate the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Seems like a regular meeting and just a phase int the never-ending
negotiation process. However, this time Elmar Mammadyarov speaks of
"signals" and the media is not saying a word about the territorial
integrity.
Until now in the past few months Azerbaijan has been blaming Armenian
for not responding and not taking a clear cut position on the
Madrid Principles to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh problem. Armenia
had initially responded and said Madrid Principles are bases for
continuing negotiations. Azerbaijan itself had not fully accepted it
because it virtually leads to Nagorno Karabakh independence.
Azerbaijan looks the conflict and keeping or losing a territory.
Armenia views it from the point of view of people's right to
self-determination.
Despite wrongly blaming Armenia for being silent on Madrid Principle,
today the foreign minister of Azerbaijan Mr. Mammadyarov admitted that
earlier this year when the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in
Sochi it was proposed to take a "pause" in the meetings, reports APA.
Thus, if there was a mutually agreed pause, what's the talk about
Armenia dragging the process or not responding? Azerbaijan may want
to explain this nuance. Th co-chairs had simply suggested to the
sides to take a break in negotiations.
Now Mr. Mammadyarov talks about "common language" and "signals." We
don't know what he really means by that and if he is willing to go
any further to open the parenthesis, however; so far things look
promising and for the following reasons.
Today the two large online news media sources have published the press
conference of Mr. Mammadyarov and in both of them there is no word
about the threat of war and no word about the territorial integrity.
The extensive coverage of his words to the media can be read in
today's News Azerbaijan and Trend News.
He said that he presented Azerbaijan's position to the co-chairs of
the Minsk group (France, Russia and USA) and asked them to present
position to Armenia. "The co-chairs now will take the signals that
they have received from Azerbaijan to Armenia," Mammadyarov said.
What are those signals? Hopefully they are positive and constructive
ones. News Azerbaijan in its coverage even lists all of the Madrid
Principles which in reality, among other things open a door for
Nagorno Karabakh's independence as they call for a "legally binding
expression of will" of the people in Nagorno Karabakh to decide the
final status. Considering the fact that before the conflict the ration
of the Armenian and Azeri communities of Nagorno Karabakh was 80-20
respectively, it is clearly that the Armenian majority will vote for
its independence. Azerbaijan knows it.
Although, it was just very recently when the top authorities
in Azerbaijan were speaking of waving the flag of Azerbaijan in
Stepanakert as the final solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Armenia responded saying only in Stepanakert's military museum.
If Azerbaijan understands that the Nagorno Karabakh problem is not
a land dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but rather peoples'
rights issue to be able to freely determine their future, then those
"signals" can be viewed as a positive state. But if Azerbaijan still
hopes to see its flag waving in the capital of Nagorno Karabakh as
the final solution, then there is no change in its position.
Hopefully things are positive. To be fair, this time Mr. Mammadyarov
speaks of "common language" that needs to be found. This entails
certain acceptance that common language means a compromise. A
reasonable concessions to reach an honorable peace. Mammadyarov also
added yesterday that "there is no alternative to finding a common
language between neighbors," News Azerbaijan reports in the same place.
It is expected that Armenia will make a response to Azerbaijan's
foreign minister's announcements this week. We will just wait and
see how Armenia responds. From that response we will know what in
reality are those "signals" that Azerbaijan sent to Armenia yesterday.
From: A. Papazian