Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 14 2008
Head of Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh Community Considers Minsk
Group’s Efforts to be in Vain
14.01.08 18:52
Azerbaijan, Baku, 14 January / Òrend corr E. Huseynli / The head of
the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh community Nizami Bahmanov is sure
that the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs to achieve some
agreement before elections will be vain.
At the beginning of December 2007, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group (France, USA and Russia), who in 1994 undertook mediation in
the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, for the first time
submitted written offers on the settlement of the conflict to the
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
On 13 January the co-chairs Bernard Facie, Matthew Bryza and Yuri
Merzlakov began their next visit to the region. On their arrival
Bryza said to journalists that an oral agreement may be achieved on
the conflict before the presidential elections in Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
Armenia will hold its presidential elections on 18 February and
Azerbaijan will hold its presidential elections in October.
According to Bahmanov, Baku will make it clear whether there is a
necessity to the continuation of peaceful negotiations this year.
At the reporting back meeting the Azerbaijani President honoured 2008
as the year of negotiations. He urged Armenia to vacate the occupied
Azerbaijani regions – Aghdam, Fizuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli, Kalbajar,
and Lachin. According to the President, the issue of the status may
be discussed after the internally displaced persons come back to
Shusha and Nagorno-Karabakh. This year Azerbaijan will consider the
peaceful settlement and will make a decision.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988, due to the Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
Since 1992, the Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of
Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven
neighbouring districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a
ceasefire agreement which ended the active hostilities. The Co-Chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently
holding the peaceful negotiations.