Azerbaijan seeks global help in Karabakh dispute

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan’s president called on the
European Union and United Nations to do more to resolve a long-running
territorial dispute with neighbouring Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region on Monday.

Ilham Aliyev, who has vowed never to give up the breakaway territory
populated by ethnic Armenians but which has been legally part of
Azerbaijan since the Soviet era, said his oil-rich country was
committed to a peaceful resolution.

But he stressed years of talks had yielded no results and said the
global community should get involved.

“Other international organisations should play a more active role —
the EU, the Council of Europe and the United Nations,” Aliyev told an
audience at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs.

“I think that broad international attention and keeping this issue on
the agenda of international organisations will help bring peace,” he
added, giving no further details.

Western companies, including Britain’s BP have invested heavily in
Azerbaijan, most notably in the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline which will
deliver oil from the Caspian to the Mediterranean.

The dispute over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region began 16
years ago but it erupted into one of the bloodiest ethnic wars in the
dying days of the Soviet Union, when an estimated 35,000 people were
killed.

About 1 million refugees fled to Azerbaijan and thousands of ethnic
Armenian refugees also fled to Armenia.

A truce was agreed in 1994 but there has been little movement to end
the dispute.

Last month Azerbaijan urged the U.N. General Assembly to intervene but
France, Russia and the United States asked the body not to interfere
with efforts they were making on behalf of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe.

“Azerbaijan will never agree to occupation and we will do what we can
and make sure our land will be free,” said Aliyev.

The president has signalled some impatience and does not rule out
military action if Armenia does not pull out.

Experts also note that Azerbaijan is actively working on defence
projects and increasing its defence budget.

12/13/04 13:16 ET

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress