WALL STREET JOURNAL PUBLISHED BRIAN ARDOUNY’S LETTER

Panorama.am
19:11 04/02/2008

The Wall Street Journal Europe published a letter sent to the reporter
of Armenian Assembly of America. The letter, in fact, is the answer
to Elmar Mamediarov’s article on "The Caspian Moment".

"Don’t Blame Armenia

The Wall Street Journal Europe Elmar Mammadyarov speaks about the
need for, and benefits of a negotiated settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh
("The Caspian Moment," State of the Union, Jan. 21). But he refers
to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk
process — the negotiating framework for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process — only in passing.

Mr. Mammadyarov overlooks the fact that in the past 13 years,
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have accepted numerous proposals as
basis for negotiations — only to be rebuffed by Azerbaijan, which
also refuses to undertake confidence-building measures. Instead,
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev publicly stated earlier this month that
"the war has not ended.

Furthermore, Mr. Mammadyarov asserts that "regional integration is
a priority for Azerbaijan." In reality, Baku persists in its policy
to isolate Armenia — from its continuing blockade in coordination
with Turkey to a pipeline that circumvents Armenia.

Rather than torpedo the recently intensified efforts by the
mediators to reach a settlement, Azerbaijan should take these
talks seriously, end the blockade, cease its bellicose statements
and agree to confidence-building measures and direct contact with
Nagorno-Karabakh. "

Note: Armenian Assembly of America is a powerful organization which
contributes to the coverage and commenting Armenian question in
the USA.