EU NEEDS SOLIDARITY ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH

United Press International UPI
Nov 25 2009

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 24 (UPI) — The European Union should respect
territorial integrity and sovereignty in a common principle for the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, analysts said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early
1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Turkish relations
with Armenia, meanwhile, are strained by claims of genocide during
the Ottoman Empire.

Ankara and Yerevan, however, signed protocols aimed at repairing
diplomatic relations at an October summit in Zurich, Switzerland.

Baku is upset over the deal as Ankara sided with its Azeri partners
by closing its border with Armenia during the conflict in the 1990s.

Leaders from Azerbaijan and Armenia are in talks with negotiators
from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, though
few details from that meeting have emerged.

Borut Grgic, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, tells
the Azeri news agency News.Az that Europe needs a united stance on
the conflict.

"The EU should start by having a common set of principles that outline
its position on the frozen conflicts in the South Caucasus — respect
for territorial integrity and sovereignty are two fundamentals,"
he said.

Baku has threatened in recent days to resort to force should
negotiations fail. Grgic said that while conflict was unlikely,
the situation was straining regional affairs.