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BAKU RESTATES COMMITMENT TO REGAINING KARABAKH
News.Az
Wed 08 February 2012 09:24 GMT | 9:24 Local Time
A senior official has restated Azerbaijan's position that it will
restore its territorial integrity either through talks or "other
options".
Ali Hasanov, head of the socio-political department at the Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration, said in Azerbaijan newspaper on Wednesday
that Baku was determined to see the withdrawal of Armenian troops
from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
He blamed what he described as the non-constructive position of Armenia
and the lack of serious pressure on Yerevan from the OSCE Minsk Group
of mediators for the failure to resolve the conflict, Gun.Az reported.
"Expectations of resolution of the conflict do not depend entirely
on us. Of course, we expect many things and these expectations are
based on international law, but unfortunately, our position is only
one side of the issue. The other side involves the non-constructive
position of Armenia and the third side - the co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group who show very weak influence and pressure."
Hasanov set out again Azerbaijan's position on settlement of the
conflict.
"President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated his position on this
issue. The restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is
directly connected with the Karabakh problem. Azerbaijan will restore
this integrity either through negotiations or any other options."
The formula "any other options" often refers to the use of force.
"For us, the settlement of the Karabakh conflict means the restoration
of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Azerbaijan has always and
will always be ready to discuss any issue within this framework,"
Hasanov said.
Hasanov's comments echo remarks by Defence Minister Safar Abiyev,
who said yesterday that since the OSCE Minsk Group had not produced
concrete results, Azerbaijan was obliged to take back the occupied
territories by other means and was, therefore, strengthening its
armed forces.
Azerbaijani officials tend to refer to resolving the Karabakh conflict
by "other means" when they are frustrated by lack of progress in the
peace talks.
The Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made claims on the
Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. In a bitter war Armenian
armed forces occupied a swathe of Azerbaijani land, including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Despite a
ceasefire in 1994, no long-term peace agreement has been reached.
The nub of the conflict remains unresolved - the competing claims of
territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan insists takes precedence in
the case of Karabakh, and self-determination, which Armenia wants to
see for the Armenians of Karabakh.
From: Baghdasarian
News.Az
Wed 08 February 2012 09:24 GMT | 9:24 Local Time
A senior official has restated Azerbaijan's position that it will
restore its territorial integrity either through talks or "other
options".
Ali Hasanov, head of the socio-political department at the Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration, said in Azerbaijan newspaper on Wednesday
that Baku was determined to see the withdrawal of Armenian troops
from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
He blamed what he described as the non-constructive position of Armenia
and the lack of serious pressure on Yerevan from the OSCE Minsk Group
of mediators for the failure to resolve the conflict, Gun.Az reported.
"Expectations of resolution of the conflict do not depend entirely
on us. Of course, we expect many things and these expectations are
based on international law, but unfortunately, our position is only
one side of the issue. The other side involves the non-constructive
position of Armenia and the third side - the co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group who show very weak influence and pressure."
Hasanov set out again Azerbaijan's position on settlement of the
conflict.
"President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated his position on this
issue. The restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is
directly connected with the Karabakh problem. Azerbaijan will restore
this integrity either through negotiations or any other options."
The formula "any other options" often refers to the use of force.
"For us, the settlement of the Karabakh conflict means the restoration
of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Azerbaijan has always and
will always be ready to discuss any issue within this framework,"
Hasanov said.
Hasanov's comments echo remarks by Defence Minister Safar Abiyev,
who said yesterday that since the OSCE Minsk Group had not produced
concrete results, Azerbaijan was obliged to take back the occupied
territories by other means and was, therefore, strengthening its
armed forces.
Azerbaijani officials tend to refer to resolving the Karabakh conflict
by "other means" when they are frustrated by lack of progress in the
peace talks.
The Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made claims on the
Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. In a bitter war Armenian
armed forces occupied a swathe of Azerbaijani land, including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Despite a
ceasefire in 1994, no long-term peace agreement has been reached.
The nub of the conflict remains unresolved - the competing claims of
territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan insists takes precedence in
the case of Karabakh, and self-determination, which Armenia wants to
see for the Armenians of Karabakh.
From: Baghdasarian