ARMENIA RILED BY US MEDIATOR’S STATEMENT

AzerNews Weekly
Dec 11 2008
Azerbaijan

A statement by the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering a
settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has drawn fire
from Armenia.

Yerevan was particularly displeased by the support voiced by Matthew
Bryza for Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. Armenian Foreign Minister
Matthew Bryza claimed the diplomat`s citing this as one of the key
principles of the peace process was incomprehensible.

Bryza, who had apparently become worried by the Armenian minister`s
terse response, quickly played down his own statement.

"I said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev adheres to one
position, while Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian – to a different
one. Besides, I said the principles of territorial integrity, the right
to self-determination and the pullout of troops should be brought
into the agenda for the sides to reach agreement. In saying that,
I did not inflate any given principle as more important," Bryza said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up
in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has
been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally recognized
territory since the early 1990s. Years of peace talks have brought
few tangible results. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned
against Armenia`s policy of aggression, saying the country`s land
will be freed at any cost.