PRESIDENTS’ JOINT STATEMENT ON KARABAKH DEMAGOGUERY-RUSSIAN EXPERT

news.am
May 27 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The joint statement by the Presidents of Russia, France and
the United States on the Karabakh conflict, adopted at G8 Summit on
May 26, is demagoguery, the head of the analytical department at the
Institute for Political and Military Analysis Alexander Khramchikhin
told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“Well, what would they do if the conflicting parties fail to come to
agreement? Nothing,” the expert said. He stressed that the parties’
positions have remained unchanged within the recent years.

“No one has so far understood who is right or wrong or on what
terms the parties will agree and so on and so forth. All this is
demagoguery. Today it is not supposed to say “it is your business
and is up to you to decide”, for this reason they express “concern”,”
Khramchikhin said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, Presidents of Russia,
France and USA issued a joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh within
the framework of G8 Summit, Thursday.

“We, the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chair countries —
France, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America
— are convinced the time has arrived for all the sides to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to take a decisive step towards a peaceful
settlement.

We reiterate that only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace,
stability, and reconciliation, opening opportunities for regional
development and cooperation. The use of force created the current
situation of confrontation and instability. Its use again would only
bring more suffering and devastation, and would be condemned by the
international community. We strongly urge the leaders of the sides
to prepare their populations for peace, not war.

As a result of efforts by the parties and the Co-Chair countries at
all levels, significant progress has been made. The latest version
of the Basic Principles, as discussed in Sochi on March 5, lays a
just and balanced foundation for the drafting of a comprehensive
peace settlement. This document, based on the Helsinki Final Act and
elements outlined in our joint declarations in L’Aquila in July 2009
and Muskoka in June 2010, provides a way for all sides to move beyond
the unacceptable status quo.

“We therefore call upon the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to
demonstrate their political will by finalizing the Basic Principles
during their upcoming summit in June. Further delay would only call
into question the commitment of the sides to reach an agreement. Once
an agreement has been reached, we stand ready to witness the formal
acceptance of these Principles, to assist in the drafting of the
peace agreement, and then to support its implementation with our
international partners,” reads the statement posted on the website
of the White House.