SHAVARSH KOCHARYAN: AZERBAIJAN IS DISTORTING THE ESSENCE OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT

armradio.am
19.05.2010 10:44

"There is an impression that Baku negotiates with itself, arrives at
solutions beneficial to itself and tries to present its wishes as an
outcome of negotiations. This is a clear distortion of the essence
of the talks," Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan
said in an interview with Public TV.

"It’s well-known that today there is only one document on the
bargaining table, which the parties take as a basis for talks. It’s
the Madrid Principles of 2007. There have been a number of proposals
by the Co-Chairs ever since, which have been in most part rejected by
Azerbaijan. The last proposal was the withdrawal of snipers from the
line of contact, which was categorically rejected by the Azerbaijani
side. The Madrid Principles clearly state that the issue should
be solved on the basis of the three norms of international law:
self-determination of peoples, territorial integrity and non-use of
force. What Azerbaijan declares, contradicts the Madrid Principles,"
Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

"The essence of the issue is clear to everyone: it’s the
self-determination of the people of Karabakh. Which is the reason
of the conflict? It’s the power politics of Azerbaijan – Armenian
massacres, ethnic cleansings, large-scale aggression. Who is
responsible for the consequences? Naturally, it’s Azerbaijan, which
launched military aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

This is the core," Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

"The conflict is being solved within the framework of the OSCE Minsk
Group. Turkey has been clearly told that it has nothing to do there,"
the Deputy Foreign Minister stated.