ARMENIA URGES TO CREATE NEW SAFETY ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE: FM
Trend
Dec 5 2008
Azerbaijan
Finland, Helsinki, 5 Dec / Trend News, corr. I.Gusatinskaya/
Armenia considers it necessary to create new safety architecture
in Europe. Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan stressed a
need in a new architecture of safety in Europe and supported the
French President’s idea on launch of negotiations on the issue while
delivering a speech at the annual meeting of the OSCE foreign ministers
in Helsinki.
Armenian foreign minister said that it would be symbolic to lay
efficient solutions to the settlement of conflicts in Helsinki. Armenia
is interested in a constructive cooperation with all international
organizations on the issue of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory, Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven surrounding regions. The occupation began in 1988. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. 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, but fruitless
negotiations.
Nalbandyan said that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
took a new impulse in Moscow and intensified the process. On 2 Nov,
the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russian met in Moscow. The
Moscow declaration was signed in the result of the meeting.
According to the Armenian Foreign Minister, Azerbaijan interprets
wrong all points of the Moscow declaration. Azerbaijan considers
that declaration on peaceful settlement does not rule out the use
of force. At the same time, Nalbandyan expressed bewilderment due to
the OSCE member-countries did not react adequately upon the massive
arming of Azerbaijan. Touching upon the Armenian-Turkish ties,
the minister said that the ties are needed to normalize in order to
achieve stability in Europe.