ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT OBSTACLE TO PEACE, STABILITY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 11 2006

YEREVAN, July 11. /ARKA/. The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh is an obstacle to peace and stability in the South
Caucasus, the leading journalist of the "Bakinskiye Vedomosti"
(Baku Gazette), writer Alekper Aliyev stated at an international
conference "European integration as a factor promoting Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement".

The public in both countries is unwilling to accept the settlement
schemes being discussed by the negotiating parties, he said.

Aliyev pointed out that mutual mistrust between Armenia and Azerbaijan
is the most serious problem in the settlement process.

"Mutual demonization, growing military expenses and more frequent
violations of the cease-fire regime testify that the time for a
peaceful settlement is expiring," he said.

Aliyev expressed the conviction of an urgent need for setting a
barrier to mutual propaganda of hatred.

The conference has been organized on the initiative of the Caucasian
Center of Peace Initiatives under the "South Caucasian integration:
alternative start" project. The conference was held in cooperation
with the Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional Cooperation
and Fridrich Ebert Fund. Among the participants were over 20 experts,
political scientists, journalists, public and political figures from
Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, NKR, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. P.T.

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