Tweet
AZERI OFFICIAL URGES SOLUTION TO CONFLICT
Hurriyet
July 20 2011
Turkey
Novruz Mammadov (R) urges Minsk Group to solve the Karabakh problem
justly.
The head of the Foreign Policy Department in the Office of the
Azerbaijani President has said Iran has offered to solve the Karabakh
issue among regional states but this doesn't seem "realistic."
"I don't think the Karabakh issue can be solved without big states and
[of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE's]
Minsk group," Novruz Mammadov told the Hurriyet Daily News.
"Iran has a very important role for Armenia in the region, they make
good trade with Armenia; it would be very difficult for Armenia to
continue its presence as a state [without Iran]," he said. Mammadov
noted that Turkey had closed its border with Armenia many years ago
because of the Karabakh conflict, "Since the time that Turkey froze
its relations with Armenia, we see this as support from one brother
to another and other countries could also do the same thing," he said.
Regarding the Azeri reaction on the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement,
Mammadov said: "Even brothers can have problems sometimes. We don't
have any objections to the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border once
Armenia leaves the occupied areas of Azerbaijan." Nagorno-Karabakh is
a constituent part of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia since the end of
1994. The enclave is internationally recognized as Azeri territory,
but it has declared itself an independent republic.
Years of negotiations involving Russia, the United States and Europe,
as well as Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders themselves, have failed to
resolve the enclave's status or enable the return of refugees. Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan in
the conflict.
While defending the solution of the Karabakh conflict within the
Minsk group, Mammadov also accused international powers of not being
fair during talks regarding the issue. "Seven areas that belong to
Azerbaijan are under Armenian occupation today. However the big powers
in the Minsk group treat Azerbaijan and Armenia as if they are under
the same situation," he said.
"Global powers also think of their own interests, so they can say
'white' today for something that they called 'black' yesterday,"
said Mammadov.
The official said he believed the Karabakh conflict would be solved
"one day in the future."
Regarding the priorities of Azerbaijan, Mammadov said: "Azerbaijan has
turned its face to Europe. We turned our face West but we also have
good relations with the Asian countries as well as the Muslim world."
Hurriyet
July 20 2011
Turkey
Novruz Mammadov (R) urges Minsk Group to solve the Karabakh problem
justly.
The head of the Foreign Policy Department in the Office of the
Azerbaijani President has said Iran has offered to solve the Karabakh
issue among regional states but this doesn't seem "realistic."
"I don't think the Karabakh issue can be solved without big states and
[of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE's]
Minsk group," Novruz Mammadov told the Hurriyet Daily News.
"Iran has a very important role for Armenia in the region, they make
good trade with Armenia; it would be very difficult for Armenia to
continue its presence as a state [without Iran]," he said. Mammadov
noted that Turkey had closed its border with Armenia many years ago
because of the Karabakh conflict, "Since the time that Turkey froze
its relations with Armenia, we see this as support from one brother
to another and other countries could also do the same thing," he said.
Regarding the Azeri reaction on the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement,
Mammadov said: "Even brothers can have problems sometimes. We don't
have any objections to the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border once
Armenia leaves the occupied areas of Azerbaijan." Nagorno-Karabakh is
a constituent part of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia since the end of
1994. The enclave is internationally recognized as Azeri territory,
but it has declared itself an independent republic.
Years of negotiations involving Russia, the United States and Europe,
as well as Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders themselves, have failed to
resolve the enclave's status or enable the return of refugees. Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan in
the conflict.
While defending the solution of the Karabakh conflict within the
Minsk group, Mammadov also accused international powers of not being
fair during talks regarding the issue. "Seven areas that belong to
Azerbaijan are under Armenian occupation today. However the big powers
in the Minsk group treat Azerbaijan and Armenia as if they are under
the same situation," he said.
"Global powers also think of their own interests, so they can say
'white' today for something that they called 'black' yesterday,"
said Mammadov.
The official said he believed the Karabakh conflict would be solved
"one day in the future."
Regarding the priorities of Azerbaijan, Mammadov said: "Azerbaijan has
turned its face to Europe. We turned our face West but we also have
good relations with the Asian countries as well as the Muslim world."