AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
March 12 2010

OSCE PA envoy urges swift Garabagh settlement

12-03-2010 06:31:05

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s special representative on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has said the most
important issue currently is to swiftly resolve the long-standing
dispute.
`We can talk about a settlement not in the near or distant future, but
a speedy one,’ Goran Lennmarker was quoted by Panarmenian.net news
portal as saying.
Lennmarker told a Rose Roth seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
in Armenia that reaching a solution is possible because the conflict
`is not frozen’.
`The conflict has to be resolved not outside, but within the region.
International forces could only assist the sides. The [mediating] OSCE
Minsk Group is the only forum for a conflict settlement, and any given
attempts aiming to shift the problem into the UN or the Council of
Europe realm would merely delay a solution.’
According to the OSCE PA envoy, a solution that would be acceptable
for all sides involved should be found. He claimed further: `In my
view, a conflict settlement is to primarily ensure the security of
Armenia and the Armenian people. Azerbaijan should realize this.
However, Armenia, too, should understand the situation and stance of
Azerbaijan, which considers itself a victim of conflict and a defeated
party.’
Nonetheless, Lennmarker sees a glimmer of hope in the peace process.
He reminded that the basic principles for a solution have already been
developed, and very few steps remain to be taken by the sides for
their acceptance. `Making political decisions and convincing the
public remains in Garabagh conflict settlement.’
Lennmarker said he had witnessed political will for reaching a
solution in Yerevan and voiced hope that Baku would also express such
readiness, Panarmenian.net reported.
The Armenian media also claimed that Lennmarker had called on
Azerbaijan to scale down its military spending, maintaining that this
will be part of the conflict settlement process.
`All European countries are reducing their military budgets, and, at
the same time, this has to be done in the South Caucasus,’ Lennmarker
said.
The Garabagh conflict emerged during the last few years of the Soviet
Union. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Upper Garabagh
and seven adjacent districts, has been under Armenian occupation since
the two South Caucasus republics signed a cease-fire accord in 1994
following a lengthy war. The OSCE Minsk Group is brokering peace talks
through a team of mediators representing the United States, Russia and
France. However, negotiations have brought few tangible results so
far.
The OSCE PA envoy is scheduled to arrive in Baku on Saturday with the
assembly’s president, Joao Soares, as part of his visit to the
region.*