Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 19 2008
U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan: The situation in Kosovo does not set
a precedent for other regions, including Nagorno-Karabakh
[ 19 Feb 2008 14:43 ]
Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva-APA. "Today the United States recognized
the independence of Kosovo.
The situation in Kosovo is a special case and does not set a
precedent for other regions, including Nagorno-Karabakh," says the
statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan. The embassy’s
public affairs office told APA that according to the statement, the
unusual combination of factors involved in Kosovo, including a
specific U.N. Security Council Resolution envisioning a status
process and an extended period of transitional U.N. administration,
makes the Kosovo case fundamentally different from all other existing
cases.
"Of particular importance, the situation in Kosovo is governed
by the terms of a specific resolution that was intended to help
determine Kosovo’s future status through a political process that
contemplated the possibility of independence. The United States,
together with France and Russia, is a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group, and in that capacity has been actively involved in mediating a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for 11 years. Our
longstanding policy remains unchanged: the United States recognizes
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and
supports a peaceful and negotiated solution to the conflict. At the
same time, we maintain that the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh
should be determined through international negotiations. In the wake
of these latest developments in Kosovo, we call on all members of the
international community to avoid any public statements that could
undermine the chances for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Any attempt to resolve the conflict
through military force or any means other than a negotiated
compromise risks undermining peace and stability
throughout the Caucasus," the statement says.