AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
March 23 2006

US, EU not seen as impartial Garabagh mediators – Russian MP

The mediation on settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict should be undertaken by “a force that is accepted
both in Azerbaijan and Armenian as an impartial party” instead, a
Russian MP has said.

The OSCE Minsk Group brokering the conflict resolution is co-chaired
by Russia, France and the United States. “Neither the United States
nor the European Union can be fully impartial with regard to the
peace process, while Russia itself is not keen on implementing the
mediating mission,” the chairman of the Russian State Duma
(parliament) committee on CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)
issues, Ahmed Bilalov, told Russian RIA-Novosti news agency.
“However, if the sides accept this, Moscow is ready to avail of all
means to achieve a fair solution…Russia is not interested at all in
the resumption of military action close to its borders,” he said in
reference to Azerbaijan’s threats to use force to free its land from
under Armenian occupation, which followed the fruitless discussions
between the two countries’ leaders in France in February. Russia
therefore wants the difference of opinion between the conflicting
sides to be solved through negotiations, Bilalov said. The MP also
emphasized that he accompanied Russian President Vladimir Putin
during his recent visit to Baku.