Azerbaijan dissatisfied with statement of OSCE MG Russian co-chair
ArmInfo
2007-06-10 17:02:00
Azerbaijan is extremely dissatisfied with the statement of the OSCE
Minsk Group Russian co-chair. Azerbaijani media reports that Deputy
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov shared his dissatisfaction
with journalists. "The statement which Yuri Merzlyakov allegedly made
in Yerevan is provocation before the meeting of Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan in St. Petersburg.
If Y. Merzlyakov really made such statement, official Baku will raise a
question of his activity and responsibility for his words that violated
all the admissible and existing norms and the functions of the
mediator. We are not sure yet if this statement was not distorted by
the press. We are currently verifying this circumstance," Azimov said.
At a press conference in Yerevan, Yuri Merzlyakov stated: "Nothing else
has been decided during the negotiations de-jure as the parties must
achieve an agreement themselves. Nagorno- Karabakh Autonomous region
was once part of Azerbaijani SSR. Then, the conflict originated. The
conflict that was intrastate in the Soviet period, now it has
practically become interstate. Once subject of the conflict, Karabakh
has become its object. No country in the world has recognized Nagorno
Karabakh as an independent state diplomatically, de-jure. The question
(in Baku – ed.) was addressed not only to me but also to Mr. Fassier.
In response to your question ‘If your countries recognize Nagorno
Karabakh?’ I replied: ‘No country in the world has recognized Nagorno
Karabakh as an independent state diplomatically, de-jure. Our countries
recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.’ However, we did not
pronounced the words ‘yes, Karabakh is an
integrated part of the Azerbaijani Republic.’ It was the mistake of
your journalist- colleagues in the neighboring country."
The dissatisfaction of the Azerbaijani party is not clear. Factually,
the leadership of Azerbaijan demands the co-chairs to made public the
final opinion and resolution of the conflict before the end of
negotiations, hereby casting doubt on the process, on the whole.