AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL: NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM IMPACTS EUROPEAN SECURITY
Trend
March 11 2010
Azerbaijan
European Union, being the most authoritative organization in Europe,
is interested in ensuring peace and security in EU. Azerbaijan is a
part of Europe. The conflicts in the South Caucasus region, including
Nagorno-Karabakh, have a direct impact on European security," Deputy
Chairman and Executive Secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party Ali
Ahmedov said, the party’s official website reported. He was commenting
on EU’s role that it could play in resolving the Armenian -Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Azerbaijan that is located in the South Caucasus region plays
an important role in European energy security and the country’s
significance is increasing every day. Therefore, the question of
stability in the region becomes more apparent," he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
"In this sense, EU began to openly speak about its interest in
the rapid resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. In particular, a number of problems that have arisen over the
past years in ensuring Europe’s energy security greatly increased the
role of Azerbaijan from this point of view. I believe that European
Union has mechanisms to influence the settlement of the conflicts in
South Caucasus. However, this structure should consider the forms of
these mechanisms," he added.
According to him, today’s reality is that the OSCE Minsk Group is
involved in the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.
"Most of the OSCE Minsk Group’s representatives are members of
EU. In this case, it is clear that European Union has leverage to
influence the process. But the question is how states are ready to
restore justice. I think that if the organization’s member-states are
interested in this, then problem can be solved quickly, "Ahmadov noted.