Azeri defence minister tells Belgian envoy chances of Karabakh war high

Space TV, Baku
22 Feb 05

[Presenter in studio] As long as the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
remains unresolved, the chances of war are high, Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev has told the Belgian ambassador to Azerbaijan
and Turkey, Marc Van Rysselberghe.

[Correspondent] The minister said that representatives of the
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry often meet their Belgian counterparts as
part of the antiterror coalition and within the framework of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace programme.

Ambassador Marc Van Rysselberghe thanked the Azerbaijani leadership
for the country’s active involvement in the antiterror
fight. Recalling with regret that a fifth of Azerbaijani territory is
under Armenian occupation, the diplomat pointed to the saying that if
you want peace, prepare for war. From this standpoint, the Azerbaijani
armed forces have become significantly stronger since the outbreak of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. However, I hope military force will
not be used in resolving the conflict, end quote.

Saying that the Azerbaijani town of Xocali and its population was
wiped off the face of the earth in just one night, Safar Abiyev
pointed to the efforts of the Azerbaijani leadership to resolve the
conflict. However, the people of Azerbaijan are worried that the world
community has not recognized Armenia as an aggressor yet.

He said although the recently-adopted resolution of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] does describe Armenia as an
aggressor and the Nagornyy Karabakh regime as a separatist one, all
international organizations have to follow suit.

Armenia is deliberately and systematically settling the Azerbaijani
territories it has occupied. This is irresponsible. We state that
Azerbaijan will not cede an inch of its land to Armenia. As long as
this conflict remains unresolved, the chances of war are high. If this
happens, responsibility will rest with Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress