Press TV, Iran
Dec 26 2009

Armenia rejects Iran mediation in Karabakh dispute
Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:45:35 GMT

Despite Iran extending an offer to mediate between Armenia and
Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Yerevan moves to reject
the offer.

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan ruled out the possible
participation of Iran as a mediator in the Karabakh settlement and
said the issue is out of the question.

The mediation format will not change, Ria Novosti quoted the premier
as saying to reporters.

The negotiation process dynamics on Karabakh will remain on the same
level next year, he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, in a recent meeting with
his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov, expressed Tehran’s readiness
to act as a mediator in the Karabakh settlement.

Both Azerbaijan and Armenia claim the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh,
which is largely populated by Armenians but located in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan lost control of the region in a rebellion by local
Armenians, who were supported by the military of the Republic of
Armenia. The conflict killed tens of thousands of people and displaced
over a million others.

However, the international community has refused to recognize the de
facto rule of the ensuing Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

A ceasefire was signed in 1994 but the dispute has so far remained
unsettled. Clashes often erupt along the ceasefire line and
negotiations have so far proved fruitless.

SF/HGH