BAKU PUTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR AGREEMENTS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH ACHIEVED SO FAR ON ARMENIA

TREND Information
Nov 30 2007
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr S. Agayeva / Official Baku puts
responsibility for the future of the agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh
achieved so far on Armenia.

"Efficiency of implementation of the set of written suggestions
made by the OSCE Minsk Group is contingent on whether Armenia is
ready to vacate the occupied Azerbaijani territory," the head of the
International Relations Department at the Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Novruz Mammadov said on 30 November.

On 29 November, the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs submitted written
suggestions (10 suggestions) on settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict to Azerbaijan and Armenia. The document was submitted by
US Chair of the OSCE Minks Group Matthew Bryza, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the US Assistant Secretary of State
for International Affairs Nicolas Bern at the meeting between the
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and the Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian in Madrid on 29 November.

Official Baku is yet not familiar with the content of the set
of proposals and will voice its position only after studying it,
Mammadov said.

According to Mammadov, most of the suggestions on settlement of the
conflict have been coordinated, but a couple of issues still remain
unresolved. Their solution depends on Armenia’s constructive position.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

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