Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 29 2008

Replacement of OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-chairs Not to Give Results –
Azerbaijani MP
29.03.08 12:51

Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 March /TrendNews/ Replacement of the OSCE Minsk
Group’s co-chairs, who are engaged in settling of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, by other intermediaries will not give
results, ITV quoted MP Mubariz Gurbanli, the deputy executive
secretary of Azerbaijan’s governing New Azerbaijan Party (NAP).

`Three countries – France, Russia and the United States – are
represented in the OSCE Minsk Group and they are the permanent
members of the UN Security Council and of the G8. The three countries
have great authority in the world. Which other countries can replace
them? Intermediary should be strong. If strong intermediaries fail to
settle the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, so how will weak
intermediaries do that? Through strong countries we have more chances
to achieve the goal. Formal participation of weak countries at the
Minsk Group will give no result. The problem can be solved within the
framework of the OSCEK Minks Group through sticking to the principle
`the strong one is the right one’,’ Gurbanli said.

Several days ago Azerbaijan sent a letter to the OSCE Secretariat
urging to recall or replace the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

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. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress