AZERBAIJAN PUBLISHES ITS PRINCIPLES OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT PROCESS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 5, 2008

HELSINKI, DECEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. During the OSCE ministerial meeting
in Helsinki, the Azerbaijani delegation spread "Azerbaijan’s Region
of Nagorno Karabakh and the Principles for Peaceful Settlement of the
Conflict around It". According to Mediamax news agency, the document
says that "Azerbaijan will never make its territorial integrity a
subject of compromise and will not recognize the "fait accompli"-based
decision that the Armenian side is trying to impose on it".

It is indicated that "the conflict can be resolved only based on the
respect for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, the inviolability of
its internationally recognized borders, and the peaceful co-existence,
within Azerbaijan, of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities making
full and even use of the benefits of democracy and prosperity".

According to the Azerbaijani delegation, the final goal of the
settlement process is the development and determination of the
model and legal framework of Nagorno Karabakh’s status as part of
Azerbaijan. "Any process of status determination should pass in
peaceful conditions, with the direct, full and even participation
of the whole population of the region, that is, the Armenian and
Azerbaijani communities, and with their constructive cooperation with
Azerbaijani government – exclusively within the framework of a legal
and democratic process," is said in the document.

It is indicated in "The Principles" that "a number of important
steps should be taken in order to pass to the stage of negotiations
on Nagorno Karabakh region’s status of autonomy within Azerbaijan".

Among these steps, the Azerbaijani delegation notes the following:

"The factor of military occupation should be taken out of the context
of the conflict settlement. Armenia should fully withdraw its troops
from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. A delay in the return
of territories may complicate this difficult process";

"The internally displaced persons should return safely and with dignity
to their former places of residence in Nagorno Karabakh region and
the adjacent areas";

"Special programs should be initiated for reconciliation of the two
communities of Nagorno Karabakh region with the aim of promoting
cooperation";

"All the communication routes in the region should be open for
mutual use";

"After Azerbaijan’s territories are freed, the restoration and economic
development of the region should start".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress