ALIEV MADE IT CLEAR
Karine Asatryan

A1+
08:42 pm | April 28, 2009 | Politics

"My Armenian counterpart Armen Rustamyan did not come to Strasbourg,"
said Head of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe Samad Seidov in response to the question
why the Azeri complain about the developments in Turkish-Armenian
relations. But that was after the sound recorder had turned off.

Samad Seidov gave an interview to "A1+" today:

How would you assess the latest developments in Turkish-Armenian
relations?

-It is no secret that we are interested in the establishing of normal,
friendly relations with all countries of the region, which will
contribute to regional development. But if we really want to establish
those relations, we must take into consideration the realities, such
as Nagorno-Karabakh and the occupation of Azeri territories. If not,
it will be impossible to develop friendly ties.

Don’t you think that Azerbaijan is causing a threat to Turkey?

-We are not saying anything. Turkey is an independent, sovereign
state like Armenia. Azerbaijan is not causing threats to either
side. If you mean the protests in Turkey and Baku, that is public
opinion, democracy. But nobody has undertaken or will undertake any
initiative on the state level. This is an issue that concerns Armenia
and Turkey. But it is also a domestic issue for Azerbaijan to think
about its national interests. I claim and am certain that it will be
difficult to establish friendly relations without the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement, which is very important for regional development.

Do you see a possible settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

-Of course.

When?

-I don’t know and probably nobody knows. But the sooner, the
better. The people will no longer be filled with hatred towards each
other. The faster international law is applied for Karabakh, the
better it will be for Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Azeri and Armenian
presidents were recently in Moscow. Geopolitical developments in the
region are currently on the move and meetings are scheduled to take
place in order to finally find a solution to the issue that is standing
in the way of regional development and the establishing of relations.

Do you believe it is possible for Turkey to become an intermediary
country in the OSCE Minsk Group?

-I don’t know. You should ask Turkey.

Would you like that?

-As far as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is concerned,
it seems to me that our president made his position clear during his
visit to Moscow. We approach the Lachin passage issue with caution
and find that the refugees must return to the regions from where they
were evacuated. We find that it is possible to determine the status
of Nagorno-Karabakh in the future, but it is not an issue today.

Will it be an issue fifteen years later?

-Let politicians decide. But I consider that as a great basis for
establishing relations.

Do you know that Armenians think differently?

-I don’t know how Armenians think about the issue. If so, Armenian
politicians and the Armenian people must decide what to do and how
to do it.