Azimov: “Baku Will Not Only Disagree with Partition of Lands, but Will Also Prevent It”

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2006 21:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The US should understand and Armenia should
remember that the Azerbaijani state will not only disagree with
partition of its lands, but will also prevent it,” stated Azeri
Deputy FM Araz Azimov. In his words, the US comes for soonest
settlement of the conflict and is ready to activate efforts to that
end. “Azerbaijan comes for joint peaceful residence of the Armenian
and Azeri communities in Nagorno Karabakh and providing corresponding
guarantees to them. I am sure Azerbaijan will attain it at a certain
stage, as there is no other way,” stated the Azeri Deputy FM.

At that in Azimov’s words, Azerbaijan is ready to display the
corresponding flexibility in settlement of the conflict. “I say it
also addressing my compatriots – the Armenian community living in
Nagorno Karabakh should have self-government within certain limits. The
Armenian party says political forces of Azerbaijan are for expelling
Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh from the region. This is not so. We
never objected to Armenians of NK living in this region as Azeri
citizens. Just the contrary, we believe those people should have
corresponding social, public and political liberties, which should
be ensured to them,” he said.

“The Azeri community should return to NK without fail,” Azimov
said. “We are ready to shift from as a firm stand as non-recognition
of Armenians’ rights to a moderate position of ensuring their
rights. Thus, Armenia and Azerbaijan can reach a consensus. Calling it
in a certain way is premature now and is not important. The important
thing is that territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be restored
and Armenians’ rights should be ensured,” he said. In Azimov’s words,
these issues were discussed with US Co-Chair of the OSCE MG Steven
Mann in Washington, Trend reports.

As an NKR MFA representative earlier told PanARMENIAN.Net when
commenting of statements of the Azeri FM, Karabakh authorities have
always come for NKR’s participation in the talks over settlement of
the conflict without preconditions. “NKR citizens have never been
and will never be Azerbaijan’s citizens.

The Azeri MFA makes statements for domestic use and these do not
reflect the actual state of affairs in the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict,” the NKR MFA representative underscored.