AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER TELLS HOW HE IMAGINES STAGE-BY-STAGE SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

ArmInfo
2010-03-15 18:15:00

ArmInfo. Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov told a press
conference on Monday how he imagines the stage by stage solution to
the Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijani media report E. Mammadyarov
as saying: "Five regions and 13 villages of Lachin region should be
released in the first stage of the settlement"

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. "We are analyzing the Madrid proposals
and thinking that the new version of Madrid principles proposed in
Athens creates an opportunity to make next steps and to start working
on a large agreement", said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
Elmar Mammadyarov.

The minister said there was diplomatic solution to any conflict. "The
Prague process is continued for six years and the presidents and
foreign ministers held several meetings in the past two years and
mediators made numerous visits to the region. The Madrid principles
were proposed in anew version. Azerbaijan creates an opportunity
to accept the document and it means that Azerbaijan has chosen the
diplomatic solution to the conflict and we are moving on this way. Let
Armenia to announce whether it will accept this version or not and
after that we will know what steps we have to make. We are discussing
various options at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and thinking about
that what methods and ways of discussions we have to choose".

The minister reminded that the Prague process was started in 2004
and it is a stage-by-stage process and Madrid document describes all
these stages. "According to the document, Armenia must withdraw its
forces from five region and plus 13 villages of Lachin region in the
first stage. Then all borders and communications are opened, a donor
conference is held, territories and communications are restored,
programs are started to be carried out, the issue of international
observers is solved due to the security of internally displaced persons
returned to their homeland because it is very important issue, then
Armenian troops are withdrawn from Lachin and Kelbajar and all roads
are opened. Return of Azerbaijani community to Karabakh will create
an opportunity to pass into the last stage – start of determination
of Nagorno Karabakh status. The determination of Karabakh status is
very important issue for Azerbaijan. Karabakh is an Azerbaijani land
and it is not correct to pull out any territory of Azerbaijan from its
administrative control. Of course, we are stating that all issues must
be solved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Regarding
the self- 0determination issue, it is a part of international law,
but it doesn’t mean that the territorial integrity can be violated
in this case. We have stated for many times that there are different
autonomies and status in the world:For example, Tatars and Bashkirs are
self-determined, but within the Russian Federation: We are supporting
the phase-by-phase process because we believe that all issues can
not be solved within a day. If Armenia withdraws its troops from
the occupied lands step-by-step, it will create large economic and
security opportunities for the region. No one can take the lands
away. It needs to establish right policy towards neighbors.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, I believe that
it is most important and best process. We have to recall the issue
of occupied territories and internally displaced persons from the
negotiation table. It will be better to do it quicker. It will prevent
the war rhetoric as well. The war rhetoric exists because there are
problems of occupied territories and internally displaced persons",
Mammadyarov said.