GORAN LENNMARKER: GOLDEN POSSIBILITY IS CREATED FOR SETTLING NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT THIS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Feb 9, 2009
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 9, RA NA Speaker Hovik
Abrahamian received a delegation led by Goran Lennmarker, the Honorary
President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, OSCE PA President’s
Special Representative for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Noyan Tapan
was informed about it by the RA NA Public Relations Department.
Attaching importance to OSCE Minsk Group’s activity in the Nagorno
Karabakh peaceful settlement process, H. Abrahamian in that context
highly assessed the unbiassed and objective report presented by
G. Lennmarker in 2005. He reaffirmed Armenian authorities’ position
that there is no alternative to problem’s peaceful settlement and once
more drew attention to Azerbaijan’s bellicose statements, which is
evidence that the neighboring country does not wish to see the problem
solved, otherwise it would try to prepare its society for problem’s
peaceful settlement. H. Abrahamian said that the Azeri authorities
presenting themselves as supporters of problem’s peaceful settlement,
continue war threats and appeals, hatred propaganda in their country.
The parliament Speaker considered as an important step aimed at
problem’s peaceful settlement the agreement reached between Armenian
and Azeri Presidents during their meeting in Saint Petersburg,
accepting Madrid principles as the negotiations basis, signing
Declaration on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by the Presidents of
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and RF in Moscow, the declaration adopted by 56
OSCE member-countries’ Foreign Ministers in Helsinki, RA President
Serzh Sargsyan’s and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s meeting in the
city of Zurich, Switzerland.
H. Abrahamian stressed that declaring European integration as a
political priority, Armenia is interested in problem’s quick solution,
based on concessions and in a peaceful way, which, according to him,
will contribute to deepening the reforms aimed at strengthening
democracy in the country. In his affirmation, Armenia should have a
good-neighborly relations with all its neighbors, and S. Sargsyan’s
initiative to invite Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia is its
best example. H. Abrahamian said that Armenia has repeatedly announced
its readiness for cooperating with Turkey without preconditions
considering it inadmissible that Turkey pretending on membership to
EU will have closed borders with its neighboring country.
Attaching importance to peace and stability in the issue of regional
development, H. Abrahamian said that in consequence of the events in
South Ossetia Armenia’s economy suffered a loss of 650m USD.
G. Lennmarker welcomed Armenia’s interests aimed at problem’s
peaceful settlement mentioning that the problem should be solved
within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. According to him,
"a golden possibility" is created for settling the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict this year, which should be based on concessions. In the
context of regional integration and cooperation G.
Lennmarker considered as progress the initiative to invite the Turkish
President to Armenia, which, in his words, will have a positive
continuation. Considering inadmissible the borders’ being closed,
he said that it is the European Union that decides it external borders.