AZERI STANCE ON KARABAKH CONFLICT “UNCHANGED”, PRESIDENT TELLS OSCE MISSION
Turan news agency
28 Jan 05
BAKU
President Ilham Aliyev today received the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group and the fact-finding mission which will investigate
settlement on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
Welcoming the guests Aliyev expressed his hope that the mission’s work
will be effective. He also noted the significance of the new format of
the talks on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, which are now
being held between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers.
Aliyev said that Azerbaijan’s position on settlement of the conflict
remains unchanged. The conflict must be resolved only and only on the
basis of international legal norms – the principles of territorial
integrity and inviolability of state borders, Aliyev said.
He said that the illegal settlement of Armenians on the occupied
territories is one of the major difficulties on the way to achieving a
lasting peace. Aliyev said he was certain that the mission’s scrutiny
of the real situation on the occupied land would facilitate the end of
Armenia’s illegal activities on those territories.
The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov,
thanked Aliyev for Azerbaijan’s professional preparation of the
documents presented to the mission. “This is all very important for
the mission to accomplish the work on the occupied territories around
Nagornyy Karabakh,” the Russian diplomat said.
Saying that the OSCE Minsk Group intends to intensify its activities,
Merzlyakov hoped that successful results would be attained as a result
of the sides’ serious mutual efforts in peaceful negotiations.