Regnum, Russia
Feb 22 2007
Tair Tagizade: `No relations with Nagorno Karabakh are possible
today’
`The has come to establish relations between Azerbaijan and Nagorno
Karabakh and now the European Union is trying to create ties of trust
between the parties,’ EU Special Representative in South Caucasus
Peter Semneby announced at a news conference in Baku yesterday.
According to him, the issue was discussed with the Azerbaijani
leadership during his visit to Baku. Speaking on statements made OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs that initiatives in the frameworks of other
international institutions hamper the process of talks in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement, Semneby said that he did not think that
the EU activity was aimed against OSCE Minsk Group work. `The
European Union backs activity of the OSCE Minsk Group,’ he said.
In its turn, the official Baku believes that at the current stage, it
is impossible to establish relations with Nagorno Karabakh. In
response to yesterday’s statement made by Peter Semneby, Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Tair Tagizade said that residents of
Nagorno Karabakh, both Armenians and Azerbaijanis, are Azerbaijan’s
citizens. So, the relations with them should be the same like with
any other area in the country, as the matter concerns only granting a
higher autonomy status. The status means that the area will have a
special status within Azerbaijan.
As Trend news agency informs, Tagizade stressed that Azerbaijan
repeatedly said that the relations will be established after other
components of the first stage of the conflict settlement are
implemented. One of the components is measures to restore trust, the
Azerbaijani official believes. `We cannot restore trust and develop
relations with Nagorno Karabakh separately until other components of
the first stage are implemented. This includes withdrawal of forces
from the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh, demining of
communications, returning of IDPs. After that measures to restore
trust can be taken. The process [of restoring trust] is impossible on
its own,’ Tagizade said.
