BAKU ACCUSES OSCE MINSK GROUP OF DRAGGING FEET

Interfax News Agency
July 21 2008
Russia

The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group are to be blamed for the
delays in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement talks, presidential external
relations department head Novruz Mamedov said.

It appears that the role of the co-chairmen is to make this process
last eternally. And this is wrong, Mamedov told Azerbaijan’s ATV
channel.

I think that mediators should think about what responsibility they
bear in dragging the talks, he said.

If the co-chairmen have no position and if they do not address the
resolution of this conflict from the position of international law,
they should openly say this, Mamedov said.

The new Armenian authorities have adopted a wrongheaded political
course, which could result in many problems for Yerevan, he said.

The settlement is Damocles sword over the heads of Armenian authorities
and Armenia. They should take a constructive stance and solve the
conflict by peaceful means in order to evade the sword striking
them. Resting on the position of various international organizations,
Armenia should agree to resolve the problem within the framework of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Mamedov said, adding that there
is no other option, because it will bring Armenia greater disasters.

Mamedov also said that Armenia does nothing to stabilize the situation
in the region, and that it is thanks to Azerbaijan that hostilities
between the parties have not resumed.