No major changes in peace talks, Karabakh minister says

Noyan Tapan news agency
21 Jul 05

Yerevan, 21 July: “We separate the issue of the NKR [Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic] status from the task of settling the
conflict. We should speak about the necessity of eliminating the
consequences of the war and this should be done in the context of the
internationally-recognized norms on human rights,” NKR Foreign Minister
Arman Melikyan said at a meeting in the National Press Club on 21 July.

He said that there were not major changes in the negotiations process
on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Melikyan meanwhile
confirmed major intensification of the negotiations process and spoke
highly about the efforts of the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group.

As for the involvement of the NKR in the talks, the minister pointed
out that Karabakh was ready to participate in the negotiations,
however, was not considering this participation as a goal in itself:
“The main thing for us is to be convinced that these negotiations
are aimed at the specific results.”

He also pointed out that the NKR was receiving all necessary
information about the negotiations. He denied the rumours about
disagreements between the leadership of Armenia and the NKR in the
issue of the peaceful settlement of the conflict: “It is not obligatory
for us to be unanimous with the Armenian authorities in all issues,
but it is unequivocal that our interests [as published] and we reach
an agreement on any subject as a result of discussions.”

As for media reports about the possibility of holding a referendum in
the NKR, the return of the territories [seven Azerbaijani districts
occupied by Armenia] and return of the Azerbaijani refugees, Melikyan
said that it were precisely the Azerbaijani sources which “leaked”
this information: “These are usually rumours from unidentified sources,
and we cannot confirm them.”

The NKR foreign minister said that there is one task today which
the co-chairmen [of the OSCE Minsk Group] and the Armenian and
Azerbaijani presidents attempt to solve: this is a need to create a
”negotiating atmosphere”. “Other issues will be discussed only after
this, the achievement of this atmosphere is important because it is
impossible to hold negotiations and reach an agreement without this.
It is another issue that there are major differences in the positions
of the sides,” Melikyan said.

As for the deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone, he pointed
out that Nagornyy Karabakh prefers to provide security itself without
foreign forces which it does not need.