Yeni Musavat, Baku
July 9 2009

Azerbaijan’s ex-foreign ministers comment on Nagornyy Karabakh

Azerbaijan’s former foreign ministers have commented on the current
status of the Nagornyy Karabakh negotiations, opposition daily Yeni
Musavat said on 9 July.

"I do believe and I am 100 per cent sure that Azerbaijan’s interests
are being considered," Hasan Hasanov, ambassador to Hungary and
ex-foreign minister between 1993-98, told Yeni Musavat. "The essence
of the negotiations is visible from the issued statements. If the
negotiations focus on the principle of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity then it should satisfy us."

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister in 1999-2004 and currently ambassador to
Poland, Vilayat Quliyev, said that Azerbaijan unlike in previous years
should toughen its stance on the Nagornyy Karabakh issue: "Azerbaijan
has a strong army now. International support to Azerbaijan has
increased. In view of all these, Azerbaijan should put forward
decisive demands."

Formerly a leading specialist on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and
Azerbaijan’s foreign minister between 1998-1999, Tofiq Zulfuqarov,
sees hope in the current negotiation: "There can be some opportunities
[for the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict]. But both sides
should try to achieve some results. Unfortunately, even though such
chances emerged before, but Armenia changed its position at the last
moment which brought zero results."