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ON THE WARPATH?: ARMENIA CALLS ON U.S., EU TO THREATEN AZERBAIJAN WITH SANCTIONS IN CASE OF REPEATED ACTS OF SABOTAGE
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
06.06.12 | 12:53
Some observers of the contentious atmosphere between Armenia and
Azerbaijan are linking two incidents this week in which three Armenian
and five Azerbaijani soldiers were killed, with the visit of United
States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the region.
The Armenian side blames Azerbaijan for the loss of life, insisting
that it only retaliates to acts of sabotage attempted by Baku.
Azerbaijan, on the contrary, accuses Armenia of perpetrating sabotage.
One such cross-border incursion blamed on Azerbaijan on June 4 near
the villages of Berdavan and Chinari of the Tavush province cost
Armenia three killed and six wounded. The following night Armenia
reported another aggression from Azerbaijan around the same area,
saying that the Armenian soldiers repulsed the attack by a group of
Azeri commandos killing five and wounding several. The Public TV of
Armenia said Azerbaijan lost as many as 14 of its soldiers in that
foiled attempt at overrunning Armenia's defense positions.
"Azerbaijan is not satisfied by the fact that every day there are
violations by Azerbaijanis on the line of contact of Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh. They are trying to transfer the tension, to escalate
the situation onto the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan which
greatly undermines the negotiation process, as well as threatens the
regional stability. The responsibility for all possible consequences
of such activities lies on the Azeri side," said Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian during a June 4 joint press conference with
visiting U.S. Secretary of State Clinton in Yerevan, hours after the
first reported border fighting.
Clinton, for her part, said that "the use of force will not resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". "We are calling on everyone to renounce
force as well as refrain from violence... The United States, along
with the Minsk Group, is committed to doing everything we can.
And I discussed some specific ideas with the president and the
foreign minister today. I made it clear to the president that the
United States believes that a peace settlement must be based upon
Helsinki principles, the non-use of force or the threat of force,
territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination
of peoples. And you can't take one out. They have to be an integrated
whole in order to arrive at a sustainable solution," said Clinton.
Meanwhile, a number of pro-Armenian congressmen in the United
States, including Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), House
Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA)
and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
on Monday issued strong statements condemning a brazen cross-border
Azerbaijani attack against Armenia. In separate statements issued
within hours of the Azerbaijani attacks, the Members of Congress
urged Secretary Clinton to issue a clear and unequivocal rebuke of
Azerbaijani aggression, expressed concern about pending U.S. arms sales
to an increasingly violent Aliyev regime, called for the strengthening
of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan, and
offered their condolences to the families of the slain soldiers.
In his turn, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan urged the
European Union to issue a three-point resolution to Azerbaijan in a
bid to curb the militarization of the South Caucasus. At the end of
a two-day visit to Brussels (June 3-4), Sargsyan told European Voice,
a leading source for EU news and affairs, that "the EU should draw up
a declaration stipulating that the festering dispute over the status
of Nagorno-Karabakh must be resolved peacefully, threatening sanctions
if force is used and setting out what those sanctions would be."
Azerbaijan vows not to succumb to pressure. Head of the Department of
Political Analysis and Information of the Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Elnur Aslanov said: "With such provocative actions
Armenia is trying to maintain the status quo instead of establishing
peace and stability in the region, further pushing the region to
intensified military rhetoric and instability."
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
06.06.12 | 12:53
Some observers of the contentious atmosphere between Armenia and
Azerbaijan are linking two incidents this week in which three Armenian
and five Azerbaijani soldiers were killed, with the visit of United
States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the region.
The Armenian side blames Azerbaijan for the loss of life, insisting
that it only retaliates to acts of sabotage attempted by Baku.
Azerbaijan, on the contrary, accuses Armenia of perpetrating sabotage.
One such cross-border incursion blamed on Azerbaijan on June 4 near
the villages of Berdavan and Chinari of the Tavush province cost
Armenia three killed and six wounded. The following night Armenia
reported another aggression from Azerbaijan around the same area,
saying that the Armenian soldiers repulsed the attack by a group of
Azeri commandos killing five and wounding several. The Public TV of
Armenia said Azerbaijan lost as many as 14 of its soldiers in that
foiled attempt at overrunning Armenia's defense positions.
"Azerbaijan is not satisfied by the fact that every day there are
violations by Azerbaijanis on the line of contact of Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh. They are trying to transfer the tension, to escalate
the situation onto the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan which
greatly undermines the negotiation process, as well as threatens the
regional stability. The responsibility for all possible consequences
of such activities lies on the Azeri side," said Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian during a June 4 joint press conference with
visiting U.S. Secretary of State Clinton in Yerevan, hours after the
first reported border fighting.
Clinton, for her part, said that "the use of force will not resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". "We are calling on everyone to renounce
force as well as refrain from violence... The United States, along
with the Minsk Group, is committed to doing everything we can.
And I discussed some specific ideas with the president and the
foreign minister today. I made it clear to the president that the
United States believes that a peace settlement must be based upon
Helsinki principles, the non-use of force or the threat of force,
territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination
of peoples. And you can't take one out. They have to be an integrated
whole in order to arrive at a sustainable solution," said Clinton.
Meanwhile, a number of pro-Armenian congressmen in the United
States, including Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), House
Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA)
and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
on Monday issued strong statements condemning a brazen cross-border
Azerbaijani attack against Armenia. In separate statements issued
within hours of the Azerbaijani attacks, the Members of Congress
urged Secretary Clinton to issue a clear and unequivocal rebuke of
Azerbaijani aggression, expressed concern about pending U.S. arms sales
to an increasingly violent Aliyev regime, called for the strengthening
of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan, and
offered their condolences to the families of the slain soldiers.
In his turn, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan urged the
European Union to issue a three-point resolution to Azerbaijan in a
bid to curb the militarization of the South Caucasus. At the end of
a two-day visit to Brussels (June 3-4), Sargsyan told European Voice,
a leading source for EU news and affairs, that "the EU should draw up
a declaration stipulating that the festering dispute over the status
of Nagorno-Karabakh must be resolved peacefully, threatening sanctions
if force is used and setting out what those sanctions would be."
Azerbaijan vows not to succumb to pressure. Head of the Department of
Political Analysis and Information of the Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Elnur Aslanov said: "With such provocative actions
Armenia is trying to maintain the status quo instead of establishing
peace and stability in the region, further pushing the region to
intensified military rhetoric and instability."