STATE OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SHOWS CRISIS OF WORLD DIPLOMACY – NOVRUZ MAMMADOV

news.az
Nov 20 2009
Azerbaijan

Diplomacy and policy in the contemporary world is going through crisis,
Novruz Mammadov, chief of international department at Azerbaijan’s
presidential administration, told an international conference on
security in the South Caucasus in Baku Friday.

"I think crisis is observed today in diplomacy and policy judging
from the state of the Karabakh conflict settlement", Mammadov said.

He recalled that in 1992 the US Congress adopted amendment 907 to
the Act on Support of Freedom restricting direct state assistance
to Azerbaijan.

"In the result, aggressor Armenia, received over 2.5 bn US assistance,
while the victim Azerbaijan was deprived of that help. Though everyone
knew who suffered more", Mammadov said.

"I have an impression that the West adheres to the position of
providing comprehensive assistance to Armenia, the reasons are not
specified, but it occurs like that", he said.

The official said Azerbaijan is a post-Soviet country that is closely
cooperating with the West.

"But one event drew our particular attention. In October in Zurich
the Foreign Ministers of six leading states found time to spend
several hours to attain signing of protocols between Turkey and
Armenia for opening borders. Is it more important than our conflict",
Mammadov said.

He noted that the representatives of those countries have never
gathered in this format or voiced their position.

"Those representatives of the West who came there said the settlement
proceeds well. What is the use of soothing the world community? Our
president after the next meeting with the Armenian counterpart says
the talks were ineffective, while someone in the West says the conflict
settlement is nearing its close and a progress is attained", he said.

Mammadov noted that Azerbaijan has initially declared a course of
building a jural democratic secular state. "Though there are problems,
but who does not have problems?", he said.

Mammadov complained that after verdict was passed on two young
activists "western press wrote more about it than it does about the
Karabakh conflict. Who needs that?"

He noted that there is no second more important state like Azerbaijan
in the region and the country contributes to a dialogue between the
East and West, which is also in West’s interests.

"But today justice is being defeated in the international relations",
Mammadov said.

He noted that two parties to the conflict cannot be equally right and
said Russia and the United States have differences on most political
issues though they have the same position on the Karabakh conflict.

"This is the only question on which Russia and the United States
fully agree. But Azerbaijan is a strong state capable of settling
all its problems and I do hope that in the future our partners in
the East, West, North and South will adhere to a more just position",
Mammadov said.