SAAKASHVILI SEES PROSPECTS OF UNMEDIATED GARABAGH TALKS

AzerNews Weekly
Dec 24 2009
Azerbaijan

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said he sees a solution of
the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh in direct
talks between the parties, without international mediators involved.

Asked in an interview with the Russian Echo Moskvi radio station
whether or not Russia, one of the co-chairs of the mediating OSCE Minsk
Group, could "play the Garabagh card", Saakashvili said: "First, I have
been hearing a lot of very optimistic statements by European diplomats
in the past years that ‘we are close to a breakthrough’ and it always
appeared to me that the desired is merely being presented as true.

"The problem is complicated and the key to its solution is Russia.

Certainly, there are objective problems…And there is only one recipe
for solving all outstanding problems, that is direct talks between
these countries and respect for international law, including the
right of people to return to their places of residence and honoring
state sovereignty."

Saakashvili said that, so long as the current situation persists,
chances remain for its worsening.

"For the situation to change for the better, countries should
negotiate, peoples should communicate," Saakashvili said. He cited
as an example the talks ongoing between Turkey and Armenia, adding
that they should definitely be coordinated with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the
signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy
Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of
international law. The Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States,
Russia and France, is brokering peace talks.