ARMENIANS ARE READY TO GIVE BACK AZERBAIJANI LANDS ONCE THEIR SECURITY IS GUARANTEED: POLITICAL SCIENTIST THOMAS DE VAAL
Trend News Agency
March 12 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 12 March / corr. TrendNews A. Ismayilova/ The
deployment of international peacekeepers in the territory of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can solve this frozen conflict, Thomas de
Vaal, the British journalist and author of the book Black Garden,
devoted to the conflict, said.
"Armenians are ready to give back the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan once their security is guaranteed and Armenians can be made
to give back these territories only on the condition of security,"
Vaal said in an interview with TrendNews.
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.
Vaal said that Azerbaijan should begin talks with Karabakh Armenians
regarding security.
"I think that we are just wasting our time by not starting talks on
security between Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians," Vaal said.
Vaal said that it will also lead to the return of half million
Azerbaijani IDPs to their lands and will guarantee their security.
"The security of Karabakh Azerbaijanis should be guaranteed as well
and international forces are the only power that can guarantee this,"
Vaal said.
He also stated that the conflict in Karabakh must not be solved by
war. "I know that Azerbaijani society is already discussing a solution
to the conflict is war. War means destruction both for Azerbaijan
and important energy projects," Vaal said.
In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at
which time active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.
The ceasefire on the contact line between Azerbaijan and Armenia has
frequently been violated since 4 March. Gun fire has left dead and
wounded among the military and civilians.
Vaal is sure that Karabakh Armenians think of Azerbaijan as a danger
to them. Karabakh Armenians become citizens of Armenian every year.
Most of them get Azerbaijani passports. They do not have contact with
Azerbaijan and they are de-facto citizens of Armenia, Vaal said.