OFFICIAL BAKU THINKS ABSURD TO INVOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN NEGOTIATIONS

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 12 2008

Azerbaijan, Baku, 12 June / Trend News corr S. Agayeva/ The Official
Baku thinks that it is absurd to involve the Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process on Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, at this stage.

" Azerbaijan is not going to involve Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh in negotiations because it is negotiating with
Armenia, which undoubtedly is the instigator of the conflict and
occupant of Azerbaijani territory. Should Armenia state to the world
that it leaves the negotiations and won’t interfere anymore, possibly
the issue will be considered in the future," Novruz Mammadov, head
of the Foreign Relations Department at the Azerbaijani Presidential
Executive Administration, said to Trend News on 12 June.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan supported the full fledge
participation of self-proclaimed ‘ Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’ as a
side to Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations.

"The sooner Nagorno-Karabakh is involved in negotiations, the better it
will be. However, the time for that cannot be specified. Depended that
on Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh would become a side to the negotiations
in the near future. But that also depends on Azerbaijan’s position,"
he said.

"Putting forward these types of issues, Armenia tries to delay the
settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, but these attempts are
senseless," Mammadov said.

" Azerbaijan can agree to negotiate with the Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh, but only in case the definite issues regarding joint
habitation of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Azerbaijani and Armenian communities
after striking a peace agreement are solved, which is unlikely to
come soon," Mammadov added.

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