AZERBAIJAN WANTS TO SEE TURKEY IN OSCE MINSK GROUP

Trend
APril 21 2010
Azerbaijan

" Turkey’s joining the OSCE Minsk Group, mediating in resolving of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is on the agenda,
the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration department head said.

"Turkey’s joining the OSCE Minsk Group is on the agenda. But only
the OSCE can evaluate the proposals ", the Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration socio-political department head Ali Hasanov told media.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied
territories.

Hasanov said that Azerbaijan is not authorized to review activity or
determine the composition of the Minsk Group.

"This is the OSCE institution. The organization itself determines the
number of states in its structure. If there is any dissatisfaction on
this issue at the OSCE next summit, Azerbaijan, of course, can voice
its opinion. There is increasing concern over the lack of significant
results of the Institute of co-chairmen [the OSCE Minsk Group] in
recent years not only in Europe but all over the world," Hasanov said.

Hasanov expressed his attitude to Armenia’s protest against Turkey’s
joining the OSCE Minsk Group. "The Armenian Foreign Ministry does
not understand itself what it is doing. Neither the president nor
Foreign Minister of this country act on their own," he said.