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KARABAKH TALKS COULD BE SUSPENDED - ARMENIAN ANALYST
Interfax
Sept 4 2012
Russia
Talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be frozen now that Hungary has extradited
the Azeri killer of Armenian officer, Ramil Safarov, to Baku, said
Armenian political analyst Ovanes Nikogosian.
"The talks will be suspended. It is clear that Armenia will not deal
with the Azeri leadership in this situation, and the Armenian president
made it understood in his message to the diplomatic corps in Yerevan,"
he told Interfax.
In the current setting, the co-chairs of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group must make maximum effort to
settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said.
"No change of leadership is likely to occur in Azerbaijan in the
foreseeable future. Therefore, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group
must demonstrate maximum skills and professionalism to negotiate an
acceptable framework and bring the parties back to the negotiating
table," he also said.
Sharp tensions on the engagement line between Armenian and Azeri troops
are hardly possible, although the Armenian and the Nagorno-Karabakh
armed forces have been alerted and are in a state of readiness,
Nikogosian said.
"I think the settlement of the current crisis will be moved to
international courts, possibly to the European Court of Human Rights.
Armenia's legal arguments against Azerbaijan and Hungary are quite
serious and strong," he said.
Hungary extradited Azeri serviceman Ramil Safarov to Baku on August
31. Senior Lieutenant Safarov murdered Armenian army lieutenant Gurgen
Margarian in 2004 in Budapest, where both had been attending an English
language course as part of NATO's Partnership for Peace program.
Safarov killed Margarian with an axe in his sleep, reportedly in a fit
of rage at the Armenian officer's alleged insulting of the Azeri flag.
The day Safarov was extradited he was pardoned by Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev.
On August 31 Yerevan said it was severing diplomatic relations with
Budapest in connection with Safarov's extradition to Azerbaijan.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian said earlier on Tuesday
that Yerevan does not intend to suspend talks with Azerbaijan on
Karabakh.
The Minsk Group co-chairs are Ambassadors Robert Bradtke of the
United States, Igor Popov of Russia and Jacques Faure of France. The
OSCE chairperson-in-office's personal representative is Ambassador
Andrzej Kasprzyk.
From: A. Papazian
Interfax
Sept 4 2012
Russia
Talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be frozen now that Hungary has extradited
the Azeri killer of Armenian officer, Ramil Safarov, to Baku, said
Armenian political analyst Ovanes Nikogosian.
"The talks will be suspended. It is clear that Armenia will not deal
with the Azeri leadership in this situation, and the Armenian president
made it understood in his message to the diplomatic corps in Yerevan,"
he told Interfax.
In the current setting, the co-chairs of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group must make maximum effort to
settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said.
"No change of leadership is likely to occur in Azerbaijan in the
foreseeable future. Therefore, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group
must demonstrate maximum skills and professionalism to negotiate an
acceptable framework and bring the parties back to the negotiating
table," he also said.
Sharp tensions on the engagement line between Armenian and Azeri troops
are hardly possible, although the Armenian and the Nagorno-Karabakh
armed forces have been alerted and are in a state of readiness,
Nikogosian said.
"I think the settlement of the current crisis will be moved to
international courts, possibly to the European Court of Human Rights.
Armenia's legal arguments against Azerbaijan and Hungary are quite
serious and strong," he said.
Hungary extradited Azeri serviceman Ramil Safarov to Baku on August
31. Senior Lieutenant Safarov murdered Armenian army lieutenant Gurgen
Margarian in 2004 in Budapest, where both had been attending an English
language course as part of NATO's Partnership for Peace program.
Safarov killed Margarian with an axe in his sleep, reportedly in a fit
of rage at the Armenian officer's alleged insulting of the Azeri flag.
The day Safarov was extradited he was pardoned by Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev.
On August 31 Yerevan said it was severing diplomatic relations with
Budapest in connection with Safarov's extradition to Azerbaijan.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian said earlier on Tuesday
that Yerevan does not intend to suspend talks with Azerbaijan on
Karabakh.
The Minsk Group co-chairs are Ambassadors Robert Bradtke of the
United States, Igor Popov of Russia and Jacques Faure of France. The
OSCE chairperson-in-office's personal representative is Ambassador
Andrzej Kasprzyk.
From: A. Papazian