NECESSARY STEPS IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT WILL BE TAKEN IN EARLY 2010

news.az
Dec 4 2009
Azerbaijan

Asim Mollazade News.Az interview with Asim Mollazade, deputy of
parliament and member of the committee on international relations
and interparliamentary ties.

How do you assess the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement after
the Athens meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia?

The advancement is observed here. It is possible to say basing on
the statements of the foreign ministry of Azerbaijan and always
optimistic statements of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs that the
sides discussed most issues related to the framework agreement. The
signing of such an agreement will undoubtedly pave way to creation
of a global peaceful agreement. We know that several occupied lands
of Azerbaijan may be released after the framework agreement. On the
whole, the process seems to be proceeding normally and the meeting
in Athens promoted creation of the due program of meetings of both
the co-chairs and at the highest level. We believe necessary steps
will be taken in early 2010.

Which achievements do you imply?

This is primarily the coordination of principles of a framework
agreement that will allow liberating the occupied lands of Azerbaijan.

We will draw the due schedule of holding these events and each further
step. We hope that after the Azerbaijani lands are liberated the world
community will carry out serious work with Azerbaijan and Armenia to
reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan again presented Nagorno Karabakh,
not Armenia, as the main conflicting party. Doesn’t it prove that
the previously reached agreements will be blocked by Yerevan again?

I think Armenia is used to playing such games. They do it as soon as
some complicated moments emerge in their internal policy. In fact,
we are dealing with Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan, its
territorial claims and occupation of a greater part of Azerbaijani
lands. Today, Armenian citizens serve in the occupied Azerbaijani
lands and Armenian armed forces are dislocated there. Therefore, any
statement by Nalbandyan and the use of this map of a puppet regime
in Karabakh is groundless.

We have already had a sad experience when the negotiations were nearing
completion under former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan but
coup occurred and the negotiations were thrown far behind. Today the
sociopolitical tensions in Armenia are growing. Can it affect the
negotiation process again?

Certainly, there are concerns that some powers may hamper the
negotiations process like it has already occurred. I recall the
shooting of the parliament in Armenia and many other cases of this
kind. Nevertheless, the optimism today is mostly related to Russia’s
intensification. At least, Russia is demonstrating will to settle
the conflict. Therefore, we hope the force majeure circumstances that
have earlier hampered the advancement will not repeat this time.

What is the cause of this positive intensification of Russia?

It is connected with its economic interests and global interests in
preserving energy monopoly in Europe.