AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2005
Baku hopes for progress in peace talks
2004 can be described as a more active year in terms of the
negotiating process on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper
Garabagh, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told a Thursday press
conference dedicated to peace talks held last year. He said that
during the three meetings of the Azerbaijani and
Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian and the four
meetings of Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian
held in 2004, “views were exchanged, which resulted in commonalities
currently being discussed”.
Azimov stated that the approaches of the two sides are very different
and the situation is complex, but said the parties are interested in
continuing the talks and consider them useful. He said that “the
meetings held are very important, but ‘sensitive”, therefore, the
sides agreed to provide the media “not with the details but general
information about them”.
He emphasized that there are still a lot of differences but voiced
his confidence that “the discussions will yield concrete results”.
Azimov said that Armenia is becoming more interested in the talks. He
explained it by this country’s trying to gain additional time but
emphasized that Azerbaijan hopes the other side indeed has an
intention to resolve the problem.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also pointed out that that the conflict
can be settled only within the principles of international law and
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He said however, that restoring
the country’s territorial integrity does not imply solution for all
existing problems, namely, the peaceful co-existence of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Upper Garabagh in the future.
With regard to possible compromises on part of Baku, Azimov said that
if the occupied territories are liberated, Azerbaijan will be ready
to restore economic and other relations with Armenia. Shortly after
that the issue of returning Azerbaijani population to the region and
co-existence of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Upper
Garabagh must be resolved.
Azimov regarded as speculations the reports concerning the
discussions on liberating three Azerbaijani regions. He said that
liberation of all the seven regions around Upper Garabagh in the
initial stage is being discussed within the Prague talks.
The Deputy Foreign Minister stated that in 1998 Azerbaijan proposed
to free five regions on the initial stage in favor of implementation
of the TRACECA project. In spring and summer of 2002, Azerbaijan
restated the proposal. In both cases, the European Union supported
the initiative, while Armenia rejected it.
Azimov also dismissed speculations released by Armenia concerning the
‘Key West’ agreements. He said that so far the parties have signed
only one written document, namely, a joint statement of Heydar Aliyev
(former Azerbaijani President) and Levon Ter-Petrosian (former
president of Armenia) in Strasbourg on October 10, 1997.
The parties were also close to concluding accords in 1999 but Armenia
rejected them.
Illegal settlement
The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) co-chairs from Russia, United States and
France are due to arrive in Baku on January 28 as part of the OSCE
fact-finding mission to look into the illegal settlement of Armenians
in the occupied Azerbaijani lands, Azimov said. The mission will also
include OSCE MG co-chairs from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and
Finland.
The Deputy Foreign Minister said that the mission members will meet
with Azeri officials and then tour the region. As part of
preparations for the visit, the co-chairs will meet with the other
mission members in Vienna on January 21 to outline a plan of
activities, he said.
Azimov continued that “the mission will not give any political
assessment but prepare a report on the facts that it witnesses and
confirms”.
The mission will visit five Azerbaijani regions – Kalbajar, Lachin,
Jabrayil, Gubadly and Zangilan – where Armenians were purposefully
settled, Azimov said.
A day prior to the mentioned new conference, Armenian “Azg” newspaper
published a story on relocating 100 Armenian families to the Kalbajar
region occupied by Armenia in 1993.
As for holding discussions on the Upper Garabagh conflict at the
United Nations, the Deputy Foreign Minister said that the Azerbaijani
side does not intend to raise the issue at the organization yet.
“First, let the mission visit the region, prepare and present its
report to the United Nations. We will take appropriate steps after
getting familiar with the report.”
Positions of Baku, Yerevan getting closer – Russian Foreign Ministry
Russian Foreign Ministry says that certain progress is observed in
the positions of Baku and Yerevan getting closer and their approaches
to the Upper Garabagh conflict, the Ministry said.
The statement came after another meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian
foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian was held in
Prague January 10-11 and attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
(Russia, United States and France).
“Moscow welcomes the fact that the meetings of the two sides on
different levels, including those between Presidents and in the
“Prague format”, have become regular”, the Russian Ministry said.
Representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia are considering literally
all aspects of the situation with the Garabagh conflict in their
internationally-mediated talks, the same source said.
“These include such thorny issues as withdrawal of armed forces,
demilitarization of the territory, international guarantees and the
status of Upper Garabagh.”
From: Baghdasarian