AZERBAIJANI REFUGEES FROM KARABAKH HAVE FULL RIGHT TO RETURN HOME: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Today.Az
ics/55787.html
Sept 21 2009
Azerbaijan

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan argues that the political and
physical guarantees for security of Karabakh are inseparable.

"I think that political and physical safeguards are inseparable. The
biggest political guarantee is well crafted and coherent document,"
the president said.

"This document needs to be very clearly fixed what we agree so that
then at some point no one – neither the Armenian side, no Azerbaijani
side will have a reason to refuse to take further action," Sargsyan
said in an interview with host of Saturday News program Sergei Brilev.

"We are currently conducting talks at the presidential level, at the
level of foreign ministers, co-chairs regularly visit us. They came
to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, we have had many meetings
with the President of Azerbaijan, discussed several issues of the
Madrid principles," the president said.

"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have recently joined us and with his
help we have almost agreed on the first item for which we are certainly
grateful to him. I say this on my behalf. And I think that we should
probably meet frequently with the President of Azerbaijan and continue
the discussion of those principles," the Armenian president added.

Sargsyan said presidents of the co-chair states have instructed
their representatives to introduce an updated version of the Madrid
principles to the parties. "And if this updated version will actually
be consistent with the spirit and logic of the Madrid principles,
it’s good," Sargsyan said.

He said the latest development in the Karabakh settlement at this stage
was the joint statement by the presidents of Russia, the United States
and France, that is, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group in L’Aquila and
publication of certain provisions of the so-called Madrid principles
that are being discussed.

He noted the logic that underlay the current phase of the settlement,
that is, the Madrid principles was made public. This is a referendum to
determine the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the return of control
of the territories of Azerbaijan, which in Karabakh and Armenia are
referred to as "security zone" and the normalization of relations.

The Armenian President also touched upon the issue related to the
problem of Azerbaijani refugees. "My position has been voiced many
times, including to Ilham Aliyev and co-chairs, and it stipulates that,
of course, Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh have the full right to
return to their homes, but they could do so after the final status
of Nagorno-Karabakh is determined," the president said.

He said there was still no such conflict where return of refugees
ahead of time did not provoke a new outbreak. " We seek to achieve
solution for what? For the sake of peace, for the sake of stability
and so that every man will know where he/she will live," Sargsyan said.