HIKMET HAJIZADE: "WE SHOULD REJECT NOT THE MEDIATION OF THE MINSK GROUP BUT THE CURRENT "PEACEFUL" PLAN"

Today
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March 18 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az has interviewed famous political scientist Hikmet Hajizade.

-Mr.Hikmet, how would you comment on the adoption of the resolution,
which recognizes territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, by the UN
General Assembly?

-I appreciate this UN resolution- the idea to appeal to the world
community bypassing the Minsk Group is right. We should not bound
Karabakh’s fate to the sympathies of superstates. While superstates
impose Realpolitik around-each for its own selfish ends- we have the
only ally left-the global moral values and international law. We have
a right to appeal for such support to the UN countries.

The resolution is important and may be of use to us, though the Minsk
Group countries did not support it. The appeal for support to the UN
is especially right following the events in Kosovo and international
law in this sphere.

And whatever is said, we have a right to ask whether we will be
treated the same way as well, for the sake of pumping our oil and
other actions without fearing the threat of war.

-Do you consider it necessary for Azerbaijan to reject the OSCE Minsk
Group mediation after the resolution of the General Assembly was
not supported by Russia, the United States and France, co-chairing
this group?

-Dissatisfaction with the activity of the Minsk Group is evident in
our country and it can be understood. However, it should be taken
into account that anyway the peaceful negotiations require influential
mediators and if we reject the mediation and demand creation of another
group (it should also be influential) we will see in the result that
we will have none to select the mediators among.

The new group (even if created under the United Nations) will again
include representatives of the West and Russia. So, there is no
alternative to the Minsk Group and it will be replaced with another
"Minsk group".

-What does Azerbaijan expects from the OSCE Minsk Group?

-Azerbaijan expects that the OSCE Minsk Group would clarify its
position, basing on the international law and UN charter, which
(whatever separatists say) fix that the territorial integrity of
countries is a priority against the right of ethnic minorities for
separation. Azerbaijan also expects the Minsk Group to recognize
occupation of our lands by Armenia.

However, the Minsk Group does not demonstrate such an unambiguous
position and we have a right to protest and appeal to the world
community for political and moral support.

-Why don’t OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs agree with the said resolution
and Azerbaijan’s actions?

-Both Russia and US officials explain their position as follows: we
have voted against the resolution, as today "a differing document
which includes the right of Karabakh Armenians for referendum to
define their status, is on the negotiation table".

This regulation is disastrous for Azerbaijan. I do not know how it
was included into the discussed draft peaceful agreement and it is
obviously a delayed-time bomb, no matter how obscure it is.

Today we can so far say that our "referendum" is not the same
"referendum", spoken of by Armenians and that "it may occur only in
10 years", while this is a fatal mistake-this is a cruelty of such
documents and such obscure regulations, fixed in contracts in "small
print". The said regulation of the contract gains power round by round,
encouraged by sponsors of peaceful negotiations and one day we might
be caught in a deadlock asked "what are you discontented with if you
have agreed to all this long before?"

Now it is necessary to stop this creeping annexation. I can’t find
any other word for the said stage of negotiations on Karabakh. We
should reject not the mediation of the Minsk Group, but the current
"peaceful" plan.

We should refuse to discuss this plan and express will to start
everything anew.

The cause can be the recent behavior of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairing countries in the UN and their loss of our distrust.

So, I would repeat that we should reject not the mediation of the
Minsk Group but the "peaceful" plan, which we have a right to treat
with suspicion.