AZERBAIJAN TO SET UP NEW CAPITAL FOR BREAKAWAY KARABAKH

Regnum News Agency
Aug 4 2008
Russia

4 August: Azerbaijan has started implementing measures anticipating
mass return of Azerbaijani refugees to Nagornyy Karabakh. As a Regnum
news agency correspondent has learnt, the administrative centre –
the government of the Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh –
has been situated in the village of Nargiztapa – some 2-3 km away
from the front line in Xocavand District.

The Xocavand District is a formal administrative unity in southwestern
Azerbaijan. In fact, the territory of the district has been divided
into Martuni and Hadrut districts of Nagornyy Karabakh and is
controlled by the administration of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic. The
administrative centre of the district is the town of Martuni.

According to reports received by Regnum, the village of Narqiztapa
is situated not a long way from the town of Martuni and the territory
is controlled by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The government of the
Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh functions in Nargiztapa. The
process of mass registration of Azerbaijanis who wish to return to
Nagornyy Karabakh has already started.

We should say that one of the mediators in the process of regulation
of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the US chairman in the OSCE Minsk
Group, Matthew Bryza, slightly lifted the veil of secrecy from the
negotiations process. "What we have proposed are – the Armenian troops
have to be withdrawn from the [Azerbaijani] seven districts around
Nagornyy Karabakh; international peacekeepers have to be brought in;
the IDPs and refugees have to return to their homes; a corridor linking
Armenia with Nagornyy Karabakh has to be established and a process
of plebiscite (a referendum – editorial office) has to be conducted
to determine the future status of Nagornyy Karabakh," added Bryza.

To all appearances, the Azerbaijani authorities through the
administration in Nargiztapa are making preparations for one of
the mentioned by Bryza points, in particular, the return of the
refugees. It is obvious that in case of effective work in this
direction, Baku could hope for a favourable outcome of the "postponed"
referendum for the determination of the future status of Nagornyy
Karabakh.