Nagorno-Karabakh official accuses Azerbaijan of not wanting to resolve
dispute
AP Worldstream; Jun 30, 2006
The defense minister of Nagorno-Karabakh on Friday accused Azerbaijan
of resisting efforts to resolve the territory’s disputed status.
"Azerbaijan does not want (to see a) continuation of talks on
regulating the conflict," said Seiran Oganian, who is defense minister
in Nagorno-Karabakh’s internationally unrecognized government.
Nagorno-Karabakh is in Azerbaijan, but has been under control of
Karabakh and Armenian forces since a shaky cease-fire in 1994 ended a
separatist war.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are under increasing international
pressure to reach an agreement on the region this year; international
mediators fear that elections in the countries in 2007 and 2008 would
make officials leery of undertaking any compromise on the volatile
issue.
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia held talks in Romania in
June, but without reaching agreement, and the OSCE "Minsk Group" of
mediators later took the unusual step of releasing details about the
proposals that were presented at the meeting.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev in recent months has made a series
of increasingly aggressive statements on Nagorno-Karabakh. On
Thursday, commenting on the region, he noted "our military potential
is growing."
Oganian said his forces are not seeking a renewal of armed conflict.
"Nobody wants war, especially our soldiers because the first attack
would be on them," he said.