Journal of Turkish Weekly
July 2 2005
Armenia Hopes UN will not Discuss Karabakh Conflict
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers agreed only on one
`element’ at their meeting in Paris, Armenian minister Vardan
Oskanian said.
Commenting on some reports saying that the sides came to terms on two
`elements’, Oskanian said all the existing problems will be solved in
the future.
`There are some insignificant issues causing a difference of opinion.
I am confident that they will be solved, which will create suitable
conditions for solving all the problems’, he told a news conference
on Tuesday.
Oskanian said that the meeting, which lasted 30-40 minutes, was
beneficial. With regard to statements that the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict will be put on the United Nations agenda, the Armenian
minister said the parties concurred on the matter.
`If an OSCE observation group visits Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan
will not make this step. We hope this country keeps its promise.’
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said earlier this week
that the issue on putting the issue on discussions at the UN will
depend on the course of peace talks.
`If we achieve progress in peace talks, the situation will change. In
this case, we will re-work the document.’
Azerbaijan achieved putting the issue of illegal settlement of
Armenians in the occupied Azeri land on the UN General Assembly
agenda last year. The OSCE fact-finding mission, who visited the
region afterwards, confirmed the fact.
20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, including Karabakh, has been
under Armenian occupation. Azerbaijan has been the only European
country whose territories under occupation by another European state.
Armenia does not recognize Turkey’s and Armenia’s territorial
integrity. Armenian terrorists even killed more than 40 Turkish
diplomats during the 1970s and 1980s in order to damage Turkish
interest. Turkey was one of the first states to recognize Armenia’s
independence, however when Armenia occupied Azeri territories, Turkey
ended its diplomatic relations with Yerevan. Ankara says Armenians or
any other nation in the Caucasus should not try to change borders by
force.