Lennmarker Proposes Aland Islands Model for Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.03.2006 21:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Parliamentary Assembly special representative
on Nagorno Karabakh Goran Lennmarker proposed to use the model of
the Aland Islands for the conflict settlement, member of the Azeri
delegation in the OSCE PA, chairman of the Milli Mejlis Standing
Committee for Agriculture Eldar Ibrahimov stated. In his words,
when observing the parliamentary elections in Ukraine he met there
with OSCE PA President Alcee L. Hastings, Assembly Secretary General
Spencer Oliver and his assistant Vitaly Yevseyev and requested to
send rapporteur Lennmarker to Azerbaijan early April.

“Last October Mr. Lennmarker paid a visit to Armenia to clarify the
opinion of the government on the report. He did not come to Azerbaijan
due to elections held in the republic that time. I am not aware of the
details Lennmarker achieved agreement on with the Armenian party. But I
believe he should visit Azerbaijan as well to meet with the members of
the delegation to the OSCE PA, Foreign Minister, Milli Mejlis chairman
and the President is a necessity emerges,” the Azeri deputy said.

When asked about the reasons of the delay of Lennmarker’s visit to
Azerbaijan, Eldar Ibrahimov said, “Goran Lennmarker behaves like the
OSCE Minsk Group that is protracting the Karabakh conflict settlement
by all means. They all say “let both states demonstrate political
will and achieve agreement and we will help them.” We ask “why are
you needed and what’s you mission in this case?”

When speaking of the reports saying that Mr.

Lennmarker offered to form a reconciliation committee between Armenia
and Azerbaijan the parliamentarian noted that the issue has not
been considered yet. “We do not need such a committee. Armenians and
Azerbaijanis sit face to face in various international organizations
and speak to each other. They present their positions on the issue,”
he said. When commenting on Lennmarker’s position Ibrahimov said,
“Goran Lennmarker is Swedish. Once a conflict broke out in the
Swedish-inhabited Aland Islands belonging to Finland and as result
the Islands were granted the status of high autonomy. This issue
in mentioned in Lennmaker’s report. He notes that for a long time
already the Swedish population lives in peace maintaining their
culture and native tongue. It means that Armenians can easily leave
within Azerbaijan. I think this proposal was made in our favor.

Representatives of all the nationalities will be rendered security
guarantees in Azerbaijan,” reported the 525th Azeri newspaper.