Azeri authorities have “difficult decisions” to make – NKR official

Arminfo, Yerevan
26 May 05

STEPANAKERT

The foreign minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [Arman
Melikyan] believes that Azerbaijan will have to make a difficult
decision regarding Kashatag [Lacin] District. He said this in an
interview with the public TV and radio company of Nagornyy Karabakh.

Kashatag District and other territories have always been of vital
importance to the Nagornyy Karabakh republic, Melikyan said.

“I believe that this will be so in the future, too. I do not know what
Mr [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev meant, but I am sure he is
aware that Azerbaijan has to make difficult decisions regarding this
issue,” he said.

Asked whether Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov had any
grounds to say that “Armenia is preparing to withdraw from the seven
districts [outside Nagornyy Karabakh]”, Melikyan said: “I would say
that the only reason for Mammadyarov’s statement is the practical
policy carried out by Azerbaijan and intended to create the impression
that it is Armenia that has complete control of the territories in
question.”

It is obvious that this is not the case and Azerbaijan’s efforts have
purely political considerations, Melikyan said. Control of the
territories is in the remit of the Nagornyy Karabakh authorities and
decisions regarding them cannot be taken without the consent of the
people of Nagornyy Karabakh. And this consent must be clearly
expressed. Therefore, any vociferous calls and statements by the
Azerbaijani side about the territories and withdrawal of the Armenian
forces from them are nothing other than wishful thinking, the minister
said.

Commenting on Azerbaijani media reports quoting the Russian
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, as saying that
the “Armenian troops must pull out from the territories adjacent to
Nagornyy Karabakh, but there is no final agreement to that effect
yet”, Melikyan said that any talk about the territories and troop
movements was meaningless at the current stage.

“There are no agreements on the issue and there are no agreements on
principles. Hence, Mr Merzlyakov seems to be somewhat optimistic in
his judgments. But we have to be realistic. This issue is the subject
of negotiations and there is no progress on it so far,” Melikyan said.

“Nagornyy Karabakh is not directly involved in the talks. It will be
possible to speak about final decisions only when the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic takes part in the talks and has the opportunity to
express its position to the public, mediators and interested parties,”
he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress