Armenian ex-foreign minister: War with Azerbaijan can start again

Regnum, Russia
April 20 2006

“Results of the talks of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in
Rambouillet are not just failure of the process of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement, but of the OSCE Minsk Group effort as well,”
former Armenia foreign minister Alexander Arzumanyan has announced
at a news conference in Yerevan.

A REGNUM correspondent quotes him as saying that the process of
settlement has been delayed not only by the conflicting parties,
but by the West and the USA. “In the beginning of 2006, the
European Union appointed Peter Semneby as its new representative
for South Caucasus, who, undoubtedly, needs time to adjust. Then,
the USA replaced their ambassador in Azerbaijan, soon, probably,
the ambassador in Armenia will be replaced too; all this is done to
drag the process out by the end of 2006, and then, as it is known,
the time starts for election races – the time, when the settlement
process will be given a place far from the leading one,” Alexander
Arzumanyan thinks. It is worth mentioning that in 2007 parliamentary
elections will be held in Armenia, in 2008, presidential elections
will be held both in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Assessing the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group negatively at the
talks in Rambouillet, the ex-minister, however, noted that the
mediator format was “the most successful one for the whole time of
the negotiation process.” “I do not expect any fundamental changes
in the settlement process, however, taking into consideration recent
statements made by Azerbaijan after the meeting in Rambouillet, it
is not ruled out that a war with this country can resume,” believes
the former foreign minister.