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Trend, Azerbaijan
May 27 2011
Baku: Armenia must draw conclusions from presidents' Deauville statement
BYLINE: S. Agayeva, Trend News Agency, Baku, Azerbaijan
May 27--BAKU, Azerbaijan -- The Azerbaijani government thinks that
Armenia must draw conclusions from the last statement of the Russian,
U.S and French Presidents over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Of course, we welcome the statement made by the presidents in
Deauville, France during the G8 meeting," the head of the foreign
relations department at the Presidential Administration Novruz
Mammadov told Trend. "The presidents' concern over the unresolved
conflict is clear and pleases. They stress the necessity of rapid
settlement of the conflict through negotiations. We also attach great
importance to this."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, U.S President Barack Obama and
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on the Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders to demonstrate the political will and to finalize
the basic principles [the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh] during
the upcoming Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in June.
"The further delay will put the desire of the parties to reach an
agreement under question," a joint statement of the presidents of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries said.
Mammadov said that until now the negotiation process has been delayed
by the fault of the Armenian side.
"The Armenian side expressed its positive attitude towards the
proposals made in late 2009," he said. "Later, it changed its position
and that has been the key reason for loss of time until now.
Henceforth, the continuation of the talks conducted by co-chairmen,
the preparation of an updated version, the report of the assessment
mission and the need for changing the status quo necessitates the
settlement of the conflict. I think this appeal was made directly to
the Armenian side. Neverthess, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian wants to confuse the international public opinion. All know
that Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani lands and keeps them under this
status."
According to Mammadov, this status quo cannot be preserved anymore and
should be changed. First of all, the Armenian side must withdraw its
troops from seven Azerbaijani regions peacefully and through
negotiations.
He said Azerbaijan most of all wants the conflict to be resolved
peacefully and through negotiations.
"People, who resided in this territory before the conflict, must be
repatriated and resettled there," he said. "The first stage in the
negotiation process to resolve the conflict should include improvement
work, mine clearance and other work. Then other stages must be
continued.
The referendum is planned to be held and the relevant issues to be
considered at the last stage. The Armenian side must not again seek a
pretext for delaying the talks now, in response to the presidents'
statement. It must agree with the variant of settlement proposed by
the co-chairmen, actively supported by President Medvedev and stressed
by the three Presidents today and to demonstrate the will to take a
step forward."
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 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group -- Russia, France, and the U.S. --
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
See Novruz Mammadov's statement also on his personal page on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/NovruzMammadov
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
May 27 2011
Baku: Armenia must draw conclusions from presidents' Deauville statement
BYLINE: S. Agayeva, Trend News Agency, Baku, Azerbaijan
May 27--BAKU, Azerbaijan -- The Azerbaijani government thinks that
Armenia must draw conclusions from the last statement of the Russian,
U.S and French Presidents over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Of course, we welcome the statement made by the presidents in
Deauville, France during the G8 meeting," the head of the foreign
relations department at the Presidential Administration Novruz
Mammadov told Trend. "The presidents' concern over the unresolved
conflict is clear and pleases. They stress the necessity of rapid
settlement of the conflict through negotiations. We also attach great
importance to this."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, U.S President Barack Obama and
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on the Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders to demonstrate the political will and to finalize
the basic principles [the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh] during
the upcoming Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in June.
"The further delay will put the desire of the parties to reach an
agreement under question," a joint statement of the presidents of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries said.
Mammadov said that until now the negotiation process has been delayed
by the fault of the Armenian side.
"The Armenian side expressed its positive attitude towards the
proposals made in late 2009," he said. "Later, it changed its position
and that has been the key reason for loss of time until now.
Henceforth, the continuation of the talks conducted by co-chairmen,
the preparation of an updated version, the report of the assessment
mission and the need for changing the status quo necessitates the
settlement of the conflict. I think this appeal was made directly to
the Armenian side. Neverthess, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian wants to confuse the international public opinion. All know
that Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani lands and keeps them under this
status."
According to Mammadov, this status quo cannot be preserved anymore and
should be changed. First of all, the Armenian side must withdraw its
troops from seven Azerbaijani regions peacefully and through
negotiations.
He said Azerbaijan most of all wants the conflict to be resolved
peacefully and through negotiations.
"People, who resided in this territory before the conflict, must be
repatriated and resettled there," he said. "The first stage in the
negotiation process to resolve the conflict should include improvement
work, mine clearance and other work. Then other stages must be
continued.
The referendum is planned to be held and the relevant issues to be
considered at the last stage. The Armenian side must not again seek a
pretext for delaying the talks now, in response to the presidents'
statement. It must agree with the variant of settlement proposed by
the co-chairmen, actively supported by President Medvedev and stressed
by the three Presidents today and to demonstrate the will to take a
step forward."
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 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group -- Russia, France, and the U.S. --
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
See Novruz Mammadov's statement also on his personal page on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/NovruzMammadov
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress