AZERBAIJANI FM: OSCE MINSK GROUP MUST ACHIEVE ARMENIA’S CONSENT WITH UPDATED MADRID PRINCIPLES

Journal of Turkish Weekly

May 10 2010

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov does not plan to
meet with the OSCE Minsk group co-chairmen in Brussels May 11-12,
the Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told Trend.

"At this stage, co-chairmen of the Minsk Group must work more with
the Armenian side, since, as opposed to official Baku, Yerevan
has not expressed its attitude to the updated Madrid principles,"
Polukhov said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met with the OSCE Minsk
group co-chairmen in Brussels, the foreign ministry told "News-Armenia"
agency.

At the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and
Serzh Sargsyan in January in Sochi, the OSCE Minsk Group presented
the parties an updated version of the Madrid document, which is the
basis for negotiations.

Official Baku, adopting the Madrid principles, has not yet received
the information from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen on Yerevan’s
position on an updated version of the Madrid principles proposed by
the mediators to Armenia.

Polukhov said that the next step in the process of negotiations on
Nagorno-Karabakh must be a way to reach a comprehensive agreement to
resolve the conflict.

"So, the Armenian side must express its attitude to updated Madrid
principles", Polukhov said.

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.