BAKU: Azerbaijan must submit its own plan on settlement of NK

Today, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

Azerbaijan must submit its own plan on settlement of Karabakh
conflict: political expert

21 November 2009 [11:29] – Today.Az

Day.Az interview with Azerbaijani political expert Vafa Guluzade.

Day.Az: What action Azerbaijan should take to prevent Armenia to
return to details of the conflict resolution that had already been
agreed upon earlier?

Vafa Guluzade: Azerbaijan must submit its own a plan of settlement of
the Karabakh conflict in talks with Armenia. Those plans that the OSCE
Minsk Group have developed do not meet Azerbaijan’s interests.
Azerbaijan should get plan of action which is advantageous to it to be
discussed at the talks.

Q: A few days ago Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that withdrawal
of Armenian troops from occupied Azerbaijani territories has been
negotiated. What are your views on this statement?

A: Indeed, withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied Azerbaijani
territories is imminent once a peace agreement is signed. But Armenia
resists signing of the agreement because it requires Karabakh to be
recognized as an independent or attached to the territory of Armenia.
Such a stance impedes a peace treaty and negotiations on the return of
Azerbaijani refugees to the occupied territories.

Q: Why did the Armenian parliament decline to recognize independence
of the break-away `Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’?

A: I think it was dictated by Russia, because it could affect world
community’s attitude to Armenia. Armenia added separatist
Nagorno-Karabakh to its territory with an internal act in Soviet
times. But it is impossible to achieve international recognition of
the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan.

Q: Can the OSCE MG be re-organized?

A: OSCE Minsk Group is "stillborn" organization. So, I think nothing
will help it.

Q: A few days ago Day.Az published photos which showed a cemetery
destroyed by Armenians in the occupied Agdam region. How Azerbaijan
can counteract these acts of vandalism?

A: Azerbaijan is a victim of occupation and the international
community is doing nothing in our favor. There is a joke – when
American gangster kills someone, he says "I’m sorry, friend, this is
not personal, it’s just business." West therefore turns a blind eye to
it because it is only their "business". For this reason, the United
States, France, the United Kingdom and others turn a blind eye to the
fact that Armenia is destroying our homes and burns our lands.

Day.Az

URL:

http://www.today.az/news/politics/57670.html