NKR FOREIGN MINISTER GEORGY PETROSSIAN’S COMMENTARY ON UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION ON FIRES

Lragir.am
11 Sept 06

– Mr. Minister how do you assess the Resolution on fires on the
territories under the NKR control adopted at the 60th session of UN
General Assembly?

– On the whole taking into account the final result, namely an
intention to send the OSCE Mission with support of the UN experts
to the region to assess the long-term and short-term threats, which
can lead to ecologic catastrophe in the region, the Resolution can
be considered acceptable for the NKR. Moreover, it is necessary to
emphasize that this process is a logical continuation of Nagorno
Karabakh authorities’ initiative. The NKR authorities were extremely
alarmed at the situation with the fires as those inflammations caused
damage to the agriculture of our republic. In connection with this
the NKR MFA sent a note to the Office of the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office with an urgent request to conduct a
crisis-monitoring in the area bordering with Azerbaijan. Two weeks late
the OSCE Mission conducted a series of monitorings, which resulted in
the report of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
which refuted the accusations of the Azerbaijani side on alleged
burnings of settlements in the NKR security zone. Thus, the NKR
authorities were the first to address the OSCE for a dispatch of a
monitoring group to the region, which was passed over in silence by
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen in their report, which was made public
at the General Assembly’s session. However, if the report of the OSCE
high rank needs additional confirmation, – we are ready to receive
a new Mission of the OSCE to discredit Azerbaijani myths once more.

The position of this issue in the UN itself and some formulas of the
Resolution are not acceptable. The attempts to transfer the issues
which are to be solved by the OSCE Minsk Group to the UN cannot
promote the advance of negotiation process but only postpone the
possible prospect of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

The fact that the given Resolution, namely its contents is a result
of consensus between Armenia and Azerbaijan – rare phenomenon for
recent years, especially under the conditions of the absence of
confidence between the parties, is worthy of notice and it can be
only welcomed. We consider that such projects are to be discussed
with participation of all three parties to the conflict in order to
avoid problems in the course of implementation of accepted decisions
especially because these decisions concern the territories which are
exceptionally under the control of the Nagorno Karabakh republic’s
authorities.

The NKR’s position remains invariable – we are going to continue
our cooperation with the international structures and are ready to
assist the work of a group of experts sent by the OSCE exclusively
from neutral countries.