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Edward Nalbandian: Any bad peace is much better than war
armradio.am
29.01.2011 13:53
Any bad peace is much better than war, Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian said in interview with Russia Today TV Channel.
`It's natural, because everyone knows that it's impossible to solve
issues by war. Those who believe that it's possible to solve conflicts
through force or military actions, cherish illusions, because after
any war it `s necessary to return to the bargaining table, but in
worse conditions,' he said.
According to Minister Nalbandian, time does not work for anyone. `The
sooner we solve the conflict, the better for the parties.'
Edward Nalbandian does not share the opinion that the approaches of
the parties shave not come closer since the signing the ceasefire
agreement in 1994. `We were close to solving the conflict in 2001,
when negotiations were under way in Paris with the mediation of
France. As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group France was playing an
active role then, and the parties were close to settlement.
Unfortunately, Azerbaijan's President Heydar Aliyev refused from the
so-called Paris principles, which were later put on paper in Key West.
He explained it by saying that the public opinion in Azerbaijan was
not ready for it. In case of every conflict the public opinion should
be prepared beforehand. The public should be prepared for settlement
ad for mutual concessions,' Minister Nalbandian said.
According to Edward Nalbandian, the international organizations, which
address the Karabakh issue, including the OSCE Minsk Group have issued
a number of statements and declarations over the past three years
supporting Armenia's position.
`It is about 3 principles and 6 main elements on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The negotiations are currently conducted on
the basis of the Madrid proposals that were presented to the sides
back in November 2007. The six major principles were picked from the
Madrid proposals and voiced in the statements of Presidents Medvedev,
Obama and Sarkozy on Nagorno-Karabakh in L'Aquila and Muskoka in the
frameworks of the G8 Summits. What are the international community,
international mediators, Armenia and Azerbaijan saying? The
international community through the mediators is saying that that the
issue should be settled on the basis of the three principles and six
elements,' he stressed.
`The international community is saying that the parties are to conduct
negotiations based on those principles to reach settlement. And it is
underlined that those 3 principles and 6 elements have been conceived
and proposed as an integrated whole, and it is unacceptable to select
some elements or principles over the others,' he said, adding that
Armenia fully shares world community's approach that the principles
are conceived as an integrated whole.
`And what is Azerbaijan saying? Azerbaijan is saying that they accept
only one principle out of the three, as for the six elements they are
saying that they will be ready to hold a discussion on the five other
elements after the implementation of one of them. With regard to this,
at the OSCE Summit in Astana the US Secretary of State, on behalf of
the Minsk Group Co-Chairs stated, once again reminding that those
principles and elements have been conceived as an integrated whole ,it
is a package. And we should move forwards towards the settlement of
the issue on the basis of it,' Nalbandian stressed.
`In those elements, proposed by Russia, the United States and France
it is mentioned that the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be
decided by the Nagorno-Karabakh people through free expression of will
that should have a legally binding force. And before that final
decision, Nagorno-Karabakh should have an interim status. What does
the interim status mean? Saying interim status, it is supposed that
the final status has not yet been defined. And it is one of the main
elements proposed by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group as a basis
for the settlement,' Armenian FM said.
From: A. Papazian
armradio.am
29.01.2011 13:53
Any bad peace is much better than war, Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian said in interview with Russia Today TV Channel.
`It's natural, because everyone knows that it's impossible to solve
issues by war. Those who believe that it's possible to solve conflicts
through force or military actions, cherish illusions, because after
any war it `s necessary to return to the bargaining table, but in
worse conditions,' he said.
According to Minister Nalbandian, time does not work for anyone. `The
sooner we solve the conflict, the better for the parties.'
Edward Nalbandian does not share the opinion that the approaches of
the parties shave not come closer since the signing the ceasefire
agreement in 1994. `We were close to solving the conflict in 2001,
when negotiations were under way in Paris with the mediation of
France. As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group France was playing an
active role then, and the parties were close to settlement.
Unfortunately, Azerbaijan's President Heydar Aliyev refused from the
so-called Paris principles, which were later put on paper in Key West.
He explained it by saying that the public opinion in Azerbaijan was
not ready for it. In case of every conflict the public opinion should
be prepared beforehand. The public should be prepared for settlement
ad for mutual concessions,' Minister Nalbandian said.
According to Edward Nalbandian, the international organizations, which
address the Karabakh issue, including the OSCE Minsk Group have issued
a number of statements and declarations over the past three years
supporting Armenia's position.
`It is about 3 principles and 6 main elements on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The negotiations are currently conducted on
the basis of the Madrid proposals that were presented to the sides
back in November 2007. The six major principles were picked from the
Madrid proposals and voiced in the statements of Presidents Medvedev,
Obama and Sarkozy on Nagorno-Karabakh in L'Aquila and Muskoka in the
frameworks of the G8 Summits. What are the international community,
international mediators, Armenia and Azerbaijan saying? The
international community through the mediators is saying that that the
issue should be settled on the basis of the three principles and six
elements,' he stressed.
`The international community is saying that the parties are to conduct
negotiations based on those principles to reach settlement. And it is
underlined that those 3 principles and 6 elements have been conceived
and proposed as an integrated whole, and it is unacceptable to select
some elements or principles over the others,' he said, adding that
Armenia fully shares world community's approach that the principles
are conceived as an integrated whole.
`And what is Azerbaijan saying? Azerbaijan is saying that they accept
only one principle out of the three, as for the six elements they are
saying that they will be ready to hold a discussion on the five other
elements after the implementation of one of them. With regard to this,
at the OSCE Summit in Astana the US Secretary of State, on behalf of
the Minsk Group Co-Chairs stated, once again reminding that those
principles and elements have been conceived as an integrated whole ,it
is a package. And we should move forwards towards the settlement of
the issue on the basis of it,' Nalbandian stressed.
`In those elements, proposed by Russia, the United States and France
it is mentioned that the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be
decided by the Nagorno-Karabakh people through free expression of will
that should have a legally binding force. And before that final
decision, Nagorno-Karabakh should have an interim status. What does
the interim status mean? Saying interim status, it is supposed that
the final status has not yet been defined. And it is one of the main
elements proposed by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group as a basis
for the settlement,' Armenian FM said.
From: A. Papazian