U.S. AMBASSADOR: TIME HAS COME TO ENDORSE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Trend News Agency
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
May 31, 2011 Tuesday
Baku, Azerbaijan
May 31–LANKARAN, Azerbaijan — U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew
Bryza believes the time has come to agree on the basic principles of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.
“The Deauville statement of Presidents Barack Obama Enhanced Coverage
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Most Recent 60 Days of the U.S., Dimitry Medvedev Enhanced Coverage
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Most Recent 60 Days of Russia and Nicolas Sarkozy Enhanced Coverage
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Most Recent 60 Days of France is correct statement with a view to
establish a stability in the region. The time has come to agree on
the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution,”
Bryza told journalists in Lankaran today.
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and French President Nicolas Sarkozy Enhanced Coverage LinkingNicolas
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called on the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders to demonstrate the
political will and to finalize the basic principles [the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh] during the upcoming Armenian-Azerbaijani
summit in June.
“The further delay will put the desire of the parties to reach an
agreement under question,” a joint statement of the presidents of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries said.
The Azerbaijani government thinks that Armenia must draw conclusions
from the last statement of the Russian, U.S and French Presidents
over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“Of course, we welcome the statement made by the presidents in
Deauville, France during the G8 meeting,” the head of the foreign
relations department at the Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov
told Trend last week. “The presidents’ concern over the unresolved
conflict is clear and pleases. They stress the necessity of rapid
settlement of the conflict through negotiations. We also attach great
importance to this.”
Bryza said the basic principles could be the basis of an agreement
even if the final peace agreement lacks.
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 four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.