Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 2 2010

Azeri official says "military intervention" possible in disputed
territory issue

Istanbul, 2 April: An Azerbaijani presidential executive said on
Friday [2 April] that Azerbaijan might bring a military intervention
on the table regarding Upper Karabakh dispute if peaceful means
failed.

Ramiz Mehdiyev, head of the Azerbaijani presidential administration,
said that Azerbaijan preferred to solve Upper Karabakh dispute
peacefully.

"However, we may bring other means, and military intervention, onto
table in the future if necessary and if these peaceful means failed,"
Mehdiyev told editors-in-chief of newspapers and TV channels in
Istanbul.

Mehdiyev said Azerbaijan was losing its patience and said Armenia was
Russia’s support in the Balkans and Russia had to be more sincere in
solving this problem.

"The United States was also supporting Armenia," Mehdiyev said.

"If there had been no-one behind Armenia, it would have withdrawn from
Upper Karabakh," Mehdiyev said.

Also, Mehdiyev said signature of protocols between Turkey and Armenia
would not harm Turkish-Azerbaijani relations because the two were
sister countries.

Mehdiyev said Azerbaijan and Turkey would discuss lifting visa
procedures, and come to a conclusion soon.

Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan in 1988.

In 1992 and 1993, Armenia occupied Azerbaijani territories in Upper
Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire in 1994.

The cochairs of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe) Minsk Group – Russia, France and the USA – are currently
holding the peace negotiations.