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Armenia Admonishes Azerbaijan At Bsec Summit

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  • Armenia Admonishes Azerbaijan At Bsec Summit

    ARMENIA ADMONISHES AZERBAIJAN AT BSEC SUMMIT

    Asbarez
    Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

    The BSEC Summit in Istanbul

    ISTANBUL-Efforts by Azerbaijan to politicize the Black Sea Economic
    Cooperation were thwarted when head of the Armenian delegation
    admonished Azerbaijan for discussing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
    at a forum that "cannot become a platform for political discussions
    and accusations."

    During a presentation to the summit, Azerbaijan's President Ilham
    Aliyev said conflict was a major barrier to the expansion of regional
    cooperation and the deepening of economic relations.

    "The conflict has not yet been resolved and is a threat not only to
    economic cooperation but, in general, to peace and stability in the
    region," said Aliyev.

    In response Armenia's representative, Deputy Foreign Minister Ashot
    Hovakimyan admonished the Azeri leader for his attempts to politicize
    the regional economic summit.

    "According to the basic documents of the BSEC, the organization should
    stay in the limits of its economic mandate and cannot become a platform
    for political discussions and accusations. The BSEC summit is not a
    proper place to discuss the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The OSCE Minsk
    Group is the only agreed format for the negotiations on the Karabakh
    issue," said Hovakimyan.

    Diplomatic sources told PanArmenian.am that the adoption of a final
    declaration, which strengthened the resolve of members to states to
    further their cooperation, was marred by efforts by Azerbaijan to add
    amendments that would alter the focus and politicize the document in
    its favor.

    The same sources told PanArmenian.net that Turkey's high-ranking
    officials, under pressure of the European Union, succeeded in
    persuading Baku to withdraw its politically motivated provisions,
    as the Armenian delegation would never sign the document that would
    be detrimental to Yerevan.

    The amendments were removed one by one, while the Turkish officials
    were negotiatd with both the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations,
    according to the source.

    The BSEC was established on June 25, 1992 with Albania, Armenia,
    Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia,
    Turkey and Ukraine as participating countries. In 2004 Serbia and
    Montenegro also entered the cooperation group.

    President Serzh Sarkisian, who did not attend the summit, issued
    a written statement that was read at the gathering. The Armenian
    president stressed that economic progress was impeded by closed
    borders.

    "I would like to reiterate that Armenia continues to adhere to the
    principles and goals enshrined in the charter of the organization,
    and always faithfully implements all decisions adopted by the
    organization as well as agreements and memorandums signed by the
    member states," said Sarkisian. "I am confident that in the face of
    the thorny problems existing in the region, further enhancement of
    the multilateral economic cooperation in the framework of the BSEC
    will inevitably result in the facilitation of the political dialogue
    between the member states and establishment of regional stability."

    "There can be no implementation of economic programs in a multilateral
    or bilateral format under closed borders. Unimpeded contact and
    open borders, free movement of resources and equal conditions for
    competition remain the main prerequisites for the development of
    contemporary economic relations. Blockades and closed borders are not
    only artificial obstacles for bilateral and multilateral cooperation,
    but also unacceptable dividing lines on the political map of the 20th
    century. The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation has
    adopted all these provisions, and we have to ensure their successful
    implementation," explained Sarkisian.

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