Karabakh’s self-determination key to settlement – minister
13:38 | 11/ 03/ 2006
( tml)
YEREVAN, March 11 (RIA Novosti) – The right of the breakaway region of
Nagorny Karabakh to self-determination is crucial for a peace
settlement, the Armenian foreign minister said Saturday.
“Whether Azerbaijan likes this or not, it will have to deal with the
problem as it is on the agenda, and in this context, Azerbaijan is
coming under considerable pressure,” Vardan Oskanyan said.
“If we can reach a compromise solution, I think we could restart the
peace process,” he said.
Earlier, the Armenian defense minister said that Azerbaijan’s attempts
to extend the settlement in the conflict surrounding the breakaway
region of Nagorny Karabakh beyond the current framework posed a
potential threat to Armenia.
“These attempts are accompanied by a disinformation campaign conducted
by Azerbaijan’s propaganda machine, which Baku uses to score points
with international organizations unfamiliar with the conflict,” Serge
Sargsyan, who is also secretary of the Armenian president’s National
Security Council, said in his report on the country’s security
strategy.
The Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group
was set up in 1992 to facilitate peace talks between Azerbaijan and
Armenia. It is co-chaired by Russia, France, and the U.S. and has
representation from Turkey, the U.S., several European nations,
Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
The conflict between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and
Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region with a largely
Armenian population, first erupted in 1988, when the region claimed
independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.
Over 30,000 people were reported dead on both sides between 1988 and
1994, and over 100 others died after a ceasefire was concluded in
1994, leaving Nagorny Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions between
Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.