Mammadyarov: Referendum in Karabakh "Mere Public"

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.07.2006 15:29 GMT+04:00

Opinion Survey

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Basic elements, discussed during latest talks in
the OSCE MG, suit Azerbaijan within the context that they imply that
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be solved step by step, based on
international legal principles and norms, Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov
said. In his words, "the issue of IDPs, as well as those referring
to security, economy, communications should be solved first." As
of the international law, the principle of territorial integrity
if primary here. Any international law specialist will explain that
the self-determination principle does not mean violating territorial
integrity. Many examples of state system can be cited worldwide, where
nations determine themselves within state territorial integrity,"
the Azeri FM said.

In Mammadyarov’s words, the referendum in NK is "mere public opinion
survey." The Minister believe that "firstly it should be specified that
expressing will can be possible after normalization of the life of the
Armenian and azeri communities in Karabakh itself." "It is not known
yet which questions will be asked during the survey: this is subject
to talks, as if there is a question doubting territorial integrity, the
should be solved based on the Constitution of Azerbaijan," he remarked.

"I have spoken of Tatarstan, Bashkortstan examples many times, Triest,
other opinions. Co-Chairs, countries responsible for international
sustaining of peace understand well that the international law should
be primary," Mammadyarov said. In his words, economic development,
normalization of everyday life make the society to respond to painful
issues in another way. "Within that context the NK issue might have
been a problem of the soviet totalitarian regime, as all of the
Soviet Union population were in a hard condition. Now, taking into
account the building of a jural society and democracy, market economy
in Azerbaijan, the situation changes drastically. In the historical
respect, 15 years of independence are a short term. This is a period
of even less than a generation. Thus it is necessary to look at the
prospect here," the Azeri FM said, reports Day.az.