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AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 20 2013
Azerbaijani analyst dismisses Armenian FM's statement
By Sara Rajabova
A document entitled 'six principles' does not and has never existed,
an Azerbaijani political analyst has told Trend news agency while
commenting on Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian's recent
remarks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The director of the Center for Political Innovations and Technologies,
Mubariz Ahmadoglu, only made clear that the updated Madrid principles
-- a peace outline proposed by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs which makes up the basis of the ongoing peace talks -- have
an integral part which includes six clauses.
Recently, during his visit to France, the Armenian foreign minister
expressed Armenia's readiness to sign the six basic principles of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict proposed by the Minsk Group "if the
co-chairs convince Azerbaijan to do the same."
According to the analyst, Nalbandian's statement made in Paris was
apparently the result of pressure on Yerevan exerted by France on the
issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The updated Madrid principles, released in July 2009 on the website of
the US president in the form of a joint statement of the presidents of
the three co-chair countries, consist of a preamble, six articles and
a summary, Ahmadoglu noted.
"The essence of this document is that part of the occupied Azerbaijani
territories should be freed immediately and Nagorno-Karabakh will be
gradually returned to Azerbaijan. Now, in order not to look guilty in
the eyes of Armenians, Nalbandian changed the name of the updated
Madrid principles to 'Six Principles'," Ahmadoglu said.
Two purposes could be behind Nalbandian's statement, the analyst believes.
"First of all, the European Union is forcing Armenia to sign the
updated Madrid principles. Armenia is having to reckon with the EU. If
Armenia signs the updated Madrid principles, the EU will hold a donor
conference which is expected to collect aid for Armenia in the amount
of 1.5 billion euros. Second, by renaming the updated Madrid
principles into 'Six Principles', Nalbandian wants to upset Azerbaijan
to make the latter refuse to sign the document. Eventually Armenia
would convince the EU that it is Azerbaijan, not Armenia, which does
not want to sign the updated Madrid principles," Ahmadoglu added.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the
early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian
armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's
internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four
resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory,
but Armenia has not followed them to this day.
Russia, France and the U.S. - co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - have
long been working to broker a solution of the conflict, but their
efforts have been largely fruitless so far.
The Madrid Principles envision 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.
May 20 2013
Azerbaijani analyst dismisses Armenian FM's statement
By Sara Rajabova
A document entitled 'six principles' does not and has never existed,
an Azerbaijani political analyst has told Trend news agency while
commenting on Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian's recent
remarks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The director of the Center for Political Innovations and Technologies,
Mubariz Ahmadoglu, only made clear that the updated Madrid principles
-- a peace outline proposed by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs which makes up the basis of the ongoing peace talks -- have
an integral part which includes six clauses.
Recently, during his visit to France, the Armenian foreign minister
expressed Armenia's readiness to sign the six basic principles of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict proposed by the Minsk Group "if the
co-chairs convince Azerbaijan to do the same."
According to the analyst, Nalbandian's statement made in Paris was
apparently the result of pressure on Yerevan exerted by France on the
issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The updated Madrid principles, released in July 2009 on the website of
the US president in the form of a joint statement of the presidents of
the three co-chair countries, consist of a preamble, six articles and
a summary, Ahmadoglu noted.
"The essence of this document is that part of the occupied Azerbaijani
territories should be freed immediately and Nagorno-Karabakh will be
gradually returned to Azerbaijan. Now, in order not to look guilty in
the eyes of Armenians, Nalbandian changed the name of the updated
Madrid principles to 'Six Principles'," Ahmadoglu said.
Two purposes could be behind Nalbandian's statement, the analyst believes.
"First of all, the European Union is forcing Armenia to sign the
updated Madrid principles. Armenia is having to reckon with the EU. If
Armenia signs the updated Madrid principles, the EU will hold a donor
conference which is expected to collect aid for Armenia in the amount
of 1.5 billion euros. Second, by renaming the updated Madrid
principles into 'Six Principles', Nalbandian wants to upset Azerbaijan
to make the latter refuse to sign the document. Eventually Armenia
would convince the EU that it is Azerbaijan, not Armenia, which does
not want to sign the updated Madrid principles," Ahmadoglu added.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the
early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian
armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's
internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four
resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory,
but Armenia has not followed them to this day.
Russia, France and the U.S. - co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - have
long been working to broker a solution of the conflict, but their
efforts have been largely fruitless so far.
The Madrid Principles envision 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.