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REGIONAL STATES' ROLE IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH RESOLUTION IN FOCUS
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 18 2013
By Sara Rajabova
Delay in the negotiations over the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict concerns not only the conflicting sides, but also the
regional countries.
Armenia for many years has adhered to a non-constructive position in
peace talks and thus prolongs a solution of the problem.
Besides, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the hostile environment
caused by this problem hinder the development of the South Caucasus
region as a whole.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against the neighboring country. Since a lengthy
war between the two South Caucasus countries that displaced over a
million Azerbaijanis and ended with the signing of a precarious
cease-fire in 1994, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20
percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Peace talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs representing the
United States, Russia and France have been largely fruitless so far.
The negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed
by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles, also
known as Basic Principles. The document envisions a return of the
territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control;
determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor
linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally
displaced persons to return home.
The role of regional states in the conflict resolution is frequently
mulled by other countries. The issue was recently discussed at a
meeting of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
During the meeting, which was held on Wednesday in Istanbul, Davutoglu
said that Turkey wants peace to be restored in the South Caucasus.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted Turkey's
role in the settlement of the conflict. He said Turkey is holding
talks with the U.S. over the unresolved conflict.
Besides, Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the
South Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, recently said at a
meeting with a Georgian parliamentary delegation at the NATO
headquarters in Brussels that Georgia could play a mediating role
between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the settlement of the dispute.
Baku states that the conflict persists as a result of the
non-constructive policy of Armenia and urges the international
community to heighten pressure on Yerevan in order to achieve a
solution.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov recently called on the
international community to display an impartial and fair approach to
the conflict settlement process.
Speaking at a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Thomas Melia on Wednesday, Mammadyarov said that Yerevan evades talks
by making various excuses.
The minister also emphasized that the OSCE Minsk Group should step up
its efforts to arrive at a solution of the conflict and added that the
prolongation of its settlement poses the biggest threat to regional
stability.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic expressed its readiness to participate
in the "Prague Process" for peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to play a constructive role in mediating
the conflict settlement.
The remarks were made by Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Foreign
Relations of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Jan Hamacek, who met with
members of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Inter-parliamentary
Relations of the Azerbaijani Parliament on Wednesday during his visit
to Baku.
"This is a very complicated conflict, but nevertheless the status quo
on Nagorno-Karabakh cannot last forever... The unresolved conflict is
a big burden for Azerbaijan, which has to take care of refugees and
displaced persons from the occupied territories," he said.
The status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be moved from the
deadlock in compliance with UN resolutions, Hamacek noted.
The Prague Process is a series of negotiations over the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministries.
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 18 2013
By Sara Rajabova
Delay in the negotiations over the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict concerns not only the conflicting sides, but also the
regional countries.
Armenia for many years has adhered to a non-constructive position in
peace talks and thus prolongs a solution of the problem.
Besides, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the hostile environment
caused by this problem hinder the development of the South Caucasus
region as a whole.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against the neighboring country. Since a lengthy
war between the two South Caucasus countries that displaced over a
million Azerbaijanis and ended with the signing of a precarious
cease-fire in 1994, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20
percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Peace talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs representing the
United States, Russia and France have been largely fruitless so far.
The negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed
by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles, also
known as Basic Principles. The document envisions a return of the
territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control;
determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor
linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally
displaced persons to return home.
The role of regional states in the conflict resolution is frequently
mulled by other countries. The issue was recently discussed at a
meeting of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
During the meeting, which was held on Wednesday in Istanbul, Davutoglu
said that Turkey wants peace to be restored in the South Caucasus.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted Turkey's
role in the settlement of the conflict. He said Turkey is holding
talks with the U.S. over the unresolved conflict.
Besides, Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the
South Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, recently said at a
meeting with a Georgian parliamentary delegation at the NATO
headquarters in Brussels that Georgia could play a mediating role
between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the settlement of the dispute.
Baku states that the conflict persists as a result of the
non-constructive policy of Armenia and urges the international
community to heighten pressure on Yerevan in order to achieve a
solution.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov recently called on the
international community to display an impartial and fair approach to
the conflict settlement process.
Speaking at a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Thomas Melia on Wednesday, Mammadyarov said that Yerevan evades talks
by making various excuses.
The minister also emphasized that the OSCE Minsk Group should step up
its efforts to arrive at a solution of the conflict and added that the
prolongation of its settlement poses the biggest threat to regional
stability.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic expressed its readiness to participate
in the "Prague Process" for peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to play a constructive role in mediating
the conflict settlement.
The remarks were made by Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Foreign
Relations of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Jan Hamacek, who met with
members of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Inter-parliamentary
Relations of the Azerbaijani Parliament on Wednesday during his visit
to Baku.
"This is a very complicated conflict, but nevertheless the status quo
on Nagorno-Karabakh cannot last forever... The unresolved conflict is
a big burden for Azerbaijan, which has to take care of refugees and
displaced persons from the occupied territories," he said.
The status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be moved from the
deadlock in compliance with UN resolutions, Hamacek noted.
The Prague Process is a series of negotiations over the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministries.