ARMENIA CONCERNED OVER AZERBAIJAN’S INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006

Baku, March 6, AssA-Irada
An Armenian top defense official has cited as a “direct threat” for
his country what he called Azerbaijan’s attempts to take the talks
on settling the long-standing Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict out
of the mediating Minsk Group’s framework to the level of the UN,
NATO and the Council of Europe.

“Moreover, these attempts being made with the aid of Azerbaijan’s
propaganda machine earn official Baku benefits in the international
arena,” said Armenian Defense Minister, Security Council secretary,
Serzh Sarkisian.

Sarkisian indicated in his special report on the country’s security
that Armenia should boost its diplomacy and the work of Diaspora
organizations.

“The key issue for us today is ensuring security. The impact of
international military and political processes on the South Caucasus
region is gradually increasing. For this very reason, the forces
interested in the region and superpowers are becoming more active. In
this case, a special focus should be on the security issue.”

In conclusion of the report, Sarkisian urged international
organizations to provide assistance. He said Armenia believes that
solving the Garabagh problem is possible only with the mediation of
the Minsk Group and supports peace while ensuring the physical safety
of the Armenian residents of Upper Garabagh.

The Azeri Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizada said that
restoring the ethnic and demographic composition of the region that
was observed prior to the outbreak of the conflict and ensuring the
security of its residents bear great importance for the determination
of the Upper Garabagh status during the second stage of the conflict
resolution.

“There are no grounds for concerns over the physical safety of Upper
Garabagh’s Armenian population.”

As for drawing other international organizations to the peace process,
Taghizada admitted that Azerbaijan is interested in this.

“At the same time, we remain committed to the current mechanism and
structure. But if diplomatic efforts yield no fruit, we may resort
to other means,” he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress