AZERBAIJAN PROBES INTO KARABAKH MEDIATORS RECALL PROCEDURE
Lider TV
March 26 2008
Azerbaijan
[Presenter] Official Baku has not stopped using services of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and no official positionto this effect
has been declared. Azerbaijan has simply sent a letter to the OSCE
Secretariat to inquire about aprocedure of recalling the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs, both co-chair countries and individuals representing
thesecountries. Such reports being circulated by Armenians that
Azerbaijan has stopped using services of the OSCE Minsk Groupare wide
of the mark, Azimov said.
[Correspondent over archive video of Deputy Foreign Minister Araz
Azimov and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs] DeputyForeign Minister Araz
Azimov has said that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs were appointed
at the Budapest Summit in 1994 and their functions were determined
there. Azerbaijan is keen on finding out a procedure of changing the
OSCE MinskGroup mediators as individuals.
The USA replaced Steven Mann with Matthew Bryza, end of quote. How
should Azerbaijan react if one day Matthew Bryzamakes a step
dissatisfying Azerbaijan. If the three men make bellicose statements
regarding Azerbaijan, defameAzerbaijan, and make attempts against
the country’s territorial integrity, that causes concern, end of quote.
Azimov says Azerbaijan does not want to change the format of the OSCE
Minsk Group. The deputy minister described this[report] simply as
a fabrication by Armenia and the mediators, adding that Azerbaijan
wants discussions within thisframework to be efficient.
In his turn, the head of the foreign relations department of the
presidential administration, Novruz Mammadov, hassaid that this is
not the first time that Armenians disseminate false reports and one
should not be surprised at this.Nevertheless, Mammadov said that it was
possible to discuss the activities of the co-chairs. In a comment on
the issue, French co-chair Bernard Fassier said that he had never heard
that Azerbaijan was planning to stop using services of the co-chairmen.