U.S. OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMAN’S REMARK ON N. KARABAKH PREMATURE – ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

Interfax
Feb 16 2009
Russia

The Armenian Foreign Ministry believes recent remarks by Matthew
Bryza, the U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group mediating in the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, was premature and could
hamper the negotiating process.

Bryza said in a recent interview that the drafting of an agreement
settling the conflict was nearing completion. He suggested that the
agreement should be based on the territorial integrity principle and
should mention nations’ right to self-determination and non-use of
military force.

"The purpose of this statement is unclear. You get the impression that
such a commentary could have been made only to hinder the negotiating
process on the Madrid proposals, which are based on three equally
valuable principles of international law, such as non-use of force or
a threat of such use, the right to self-determination, and territorial
integrity," Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan said.

"Armenia has said repeatedly that a key issue of the conflict is the
recognition and enforcement of the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right to
self-determination. The negotiations are now being held on principles
of settling the conflict, and there is no agreement on them now.

Therefore, it is too early to talk about such an agreement,"
Balayan said.