AZERI FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUES STATEMENT ON RESOLUTION OF NK CONFLICT
Author: E.Huseynov

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 28 2006

Statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry dated June 26, 2006 is
yet another testament to the regretfully unchanging non-constructive
position of the Armenian side on the conflict resolution, Trend cites
a statement issued by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and, notably, the US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza
have indicated only the general outline of the individual principles of
stage-by-stage peaceful settlement, currently under discussion, which
can not be taken out of general context of the proposed document. This
creates prerequisites for lack of understanding or overlapping notions,
as well as for speculations such as the ones reflected in the statement
by the MFA of Armenia.

Definition of status is impossible under the conditions of continuing
occupation and ethnic cleansing and, accordingly, envisages liberation
of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and demilitarization of the
whole conflict zone, which, provided that appropriate international
security guarantees are in place, will create conditions for return of
the forcibly displaced population of Azerbaijan to their homes. This
is acknowledged by the Armenian leadership as well, the document
underlines.

The Azerbaijan side once again re-affirms being prepared to grant
Nagorno Karabakh highest status of self-rule within the framework of
the internationally-recognized territorial integrity of the Republic
of Azerbaijan and based on the current Constitution of Azerbaijan.

Such an approach, based on the norms and principles of international
law and constitutional, is the only possibility to reach durable
solution. With the aim of establishing inter-communal peace and
harmony, as well as creating objective conditions for defining the
region’s status, and also taking into consideration the perspective
of the region’s further development, Azerbaijan will be prepared
to review, in conformity with the precedents as existing in the
international practice, implementation of a complex of economic and
other incentives for the population of Nagorno Karabakh after the
restoration of its ethnic composition as of the pre-conflict period.

Position of Azerbaijan at the negotiations remains constructive and
meets interests of not only our multi-ethnic state, but also of the
international community as a whole. Any attempts to achieve changes
in the position through blackmail and threats, by using the tactic
of turning the occupied territories of our country into a hostage
and the element of bargaining, are doomed to failure. Territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan is not the subject of negotiations and will
never be. Along with that, the Ministry re-affirms Azerbaijan side’s
adherence to continuing talks to achieve lasting and fair peace in
the region. All blame and responsibility in case the peace process
is undermined will fall on Armenia, the statement emphasized.