SARKISIAN OFFERS NON-AGGRESSION PACT WITH BAKU

Hurriyet
March 22 2010
Turkey

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has appealed to Azerbaijan to
sign a non-aggression pact which he hopes would prepare the ground
for continued talks over the future of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
region.

In an interview with Euronews, Sarkisian said the non-use of force
is an underlying principle of international law and holds the key to
a lasting settlement of the long-running territorial dispute.

In an earlier conciliatory move towards Baku, the Armenian leader said
he was ready to accept the modified Madrid Principles, a framework
for solving the Karabakh conflict backed by the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE.

Azerbaijan’s President Ä°lham Aliyev responded by saying the
negotiations were already in their final stage but insisted on the
return of all Karabakh territories and the withdrawal of all Armenian
forces stationed in the area.

Self-determination

Nagorno-Karabakh is an enclave in Azerbaijan that has been occupied by
Armenian forces since the end of a six-year conflict that left roughly
30,000 dead and displaced 1 million before a truce was signed in 1994.

The territory’s unilaterally-declared independence has not been
recognized by the international community.

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating on
the issue under the OSCE, but little progress has been made in the
peace talks.

Sarkisian also reiterated his country’s long-standing argument that
Nagorno-Karabakh’s people should have the right to self-determination,
saying that Karabakh was artificially attached to Azerbaijan during
Soviet times and that Armenia could not cede the territory so easily.

Alexei Malashenko, head of the Voice of Russia’s English service
and an expert from the Carnegie Center said he does not believe the
conflict will be settled any time soon.

"An economically successful Azerbaijan sees itself as a South Caucasus
superpower, which can use its enormous material, human and military
potential to achieve its goals – hence its consistent refusal to give
any ground on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," he said.

He also said, however, that a new war was unlikely because none of
Russia, Europe or Turkey would permit such a conflict to occur.