AZERBAIJAN SLAMS ARMENIA’S NEW STANCE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
September 5, 2006 Tuesday 10:23 AM MSK

Azerbaijan slammed a statement by Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian on Monday that whether he would hold any more talks with his
Azerbaijani counterpart largely depended on the position Azerbaijan
will take in debating the Nagorno- Karabakh issue at the United
Nations.

Oskanian’s statement has "surprised" Azerbaijan, to say the least,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tair Tagizade told Interfax.

"One has the impression that the Armenian minister of foreign affairs
has completely forgotten that Armenia has made a commitment on the
settlement of this conflict with a whole number of international
organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Council of Europe,"
Tagizade said.

"If Oskanian deems it possible to make a statement of this
kind, setting some kind of additional conditions for the further
participation of Armenia in these negotiations, Azerbaijan reserves
a sovereign right to appeal to any international organization seeking
that it should question Armenia’s meeting its commitments," he said.