BAKU INTERPRETS ESSENCE OF TALKS ON KARABAKH TOO LOOSELY – ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
Interfax
May 12 2010
Russia
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian is worried by Azeri
officials’ remarks suggesting that the two countries could resume
armed hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Azerbaijan is continuing to distort not only the reasons and
consequences of the conflict, but also the essence of the negotiations,
and it is also taking any opportunity to threaten to use force," the
Armenian Foreign Ministry press service quoted Nalbandian as saying
at the 120th session of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers
in Strasbourg.
A statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict the OSCE Ministerial
Council adopted in December last year rejects the use of force or a
threat of such and acknowledges people’s right to self-determination
and territorial integrity,.
"The same principles are contained in the Madrid document, which
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs presented in 2007. Baku rejected the
existence of this document for a year until they suggested that they
accept it. However, if we try to clarify the situation, Azerbaijan’s
position includes too many exceptions, and they interpret their
provisions too loosely," he said.
"Judging by the record of the past years, it is obvious that all
of Azerbaijan’s efforts aimed at resolving the problem at other
international forums and so influencing the negotiations within the
framework of the Minsk Group are destructive," Nalbandian said.
Despite Azerbaijan’s obstructions on the path of settling the
conflict, Armenia will continue its efforts to resolve the problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh through negotiations, he said.