ARAZ AZIMOV: "MR. NALBANDYAN IS IN A DIFFICULT STATE AS HE ATTEMPTS TO DEFEND FALSE FACTS"

Today.Az
itics/45022.html
May 16 2008
Azerbaijan

In an answer to Day.Az correspondent’s request to express attitude
towards the comments of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan,
regarding Azerbaijan’s principal position on the resolution of
Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan
Araz Azimov said:

"I consider such disputes senseless, as it is evident that the newly
appointed Foreign Minister of Armenia needs additional time to get
acquainted with all issues of the resolution process. The immediate
reaction of the Armenian side and the very comment of the Minister
says that Mr. Nalbandyan is in a difficult state when he attempts to
defend false facts.

Speaking about plebiscite, as about a coordinated mechanism of
definition of the status of Nagorno Karabakh, Mr. Nalbandyan says a
lie. I hope he does not do it by his own will. Any unilateral proposal,
which has not been coordinated, can not be considered a coordinated
element of resolution.

I do hope that the Minister of Armenia, speaking about the population
of Nagorno Karabakh, implies both communities of this region, including
Armenian and Azerbaijani. Otherwise, his statement can be regarded
as a support to ethnic cleansing, committed against the Azerbaijanis
of Nagorno Karabakh. By the way, his forerunner Mr. Vardan Oskanyan,
repeatedly confirmed Armenia’s agreement for return of Azerbaijanis
to Nagorno Karabakh on the official level.

It should be added that for free expression of its opinion, the
Minister speaks about, the population of the region, including both
Armenians and Azerbaijanis primarily need peace, stability, security
and possible creative labor and cooperation in legal conditions. It
is hard to imagine normalization of the situation in the region
in conditions of continuing occupation and preservation of the
consequences of ethnic cleansing.

I would like to hope that Armenian side will be courageous enough
and have political will to admit it. Anyway, if Mr. Nalbandyan
implies conduction of the next manipulation, called a referendum or a
plebiscite, like the one, which Armenian side has already conducted in
conditions of military state after driving the Azerbaijani population
away, he is obviously contradicting the norms of international
humanitarian law.

In order to define compliance of the principal position of Azerbaijani
side, I have expressed in my interview to Day.Az with the document,
which is on the negotiation table, I would recommend him, with the due
respect for his status, to address to the principal postulates of the
Helsinki Final Act, which is among the main documents of the resolution
process, taken into consideration by the Minsk Group co-chairs in
their draft main principles of resolution. After that, it would be
easier for the Armenian side to realize the fact that as Azerbaijan
does not agree to anything else, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
should be settled in the framework of the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. Armenian side also should not have any misunderstandings
regarding the application of principle of right for self-determination.

And gradually, it is a pity that before initiating the subject talks,
Mr. Nalbandyan had already demonstrated detachment from generally
accepted norms and concepts, which has become Armenian’s habit.

The obvious intention of the Armenian side to prevent return of
Azerbaijanis to Nagorno Karabakh and accelerate the further isolation
of the region from the remaining part of Azerbaijan, would not be
accepted not only by Azerbaijan but the whole world society. Armenia’s
position, based on territorial expansion and ethnic animosity, does
not comply with either the generally accepted principles, or modern
tendencies and trends of regional integration and development",
said Araz Azimov.