KARABAKH MEDIATORS TO MEET IN MOSCOW

news.az
April 21 2010
Azerbaijan

The USA’s OSCE mediator on the Karabakh conflict, Robert Bradtke,
has described his meetings in Baku as ‘very serious and constructive’.

‘I was very pleased when [Azerbaijani President] Ilham
Aliyev underlined that he supported a peaceful solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem,’ Bradtke said. ‘I reiterated at the meeting
with the president that US President Barack Obama and Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton supported a peaceful solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem.’

The American diplomat said that the Minsk Group co-chairs would meet
in Moscow tomorrow.

Asked whether Armenia accepted the Madrid principles for a settlement,
Robert Bradtke said: ‘We will continue discussions. There are important
points where common views are expressed, but some points have not
been agreed yet.’

He echoed his comments of yesterday that one of the goals of his
visit was to regain the lost momentum in the Karabakh peace process.

Robert Bradtke’s remarks came as a senior Azerbaijani official
broadened the scope of his criticism of Karabakh mediation to cover
all three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

‘We are not satisfied with the work of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
in making progress on a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The problem is still in deadlock, there is no movement,’ Ali Hasanov,
head of the public policy department at the Azerbaijani presidential
administration, told journalists today.

He had earlier criticized the USA’s mediation efforts, accusing it
of bias in favour of Armenia.

Hasanov, who did not meet the Minsk Group co-chairs, accused Armenia
of stalling in the negotiations.

‘Armenia denies points that it coordinated in previous meetings and
tries to return to the same issues,’ he said.

‘Azerbaijan has no authority to review the activity of the OSCE Minsk
Group and to determine its composition. This is an OSCE institution
and its composition and the number of member countries are determined
by the OSCE. If there is such dissatisfaction at the next OSCE summit
Azerbaijan might express its position there. We are concerned that
the co-chairs have not made any progress yet. The current question is
whether the European Union should be represented in the group. There
are other proposals too. Turkey’s representation is also on the
agenda. The OSCE should assess the proposals.’

Hasanov also reacted to objections from the Armenian Foreign Ministry
to Turkey’s involvement in the Minsk Group.

‘The Armenian Foreign Ministry doesn’t think what it is protesting
against. This country has no will of its own, the Armenian president
and foreign ministers have no will of their own, so there is no real
progress in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.’

‘It remains to be seen how the new Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group will work,’ Hasanov said.

Russia’s new co-chair, Igor Popov, said in Baku today that Moscow’s
position on Karabakh would not change because of his appointment.

Noting that it was his first visit to Azerbaijan in his capacity as
a mediator, Popov did not answer journalists’ questions. He said he
would talk more after his visit to Armenia.