ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: CONTEST AND SPIRIT OF NEGOTIATIONS ARE NOT
MATCHED BY PUBLIC STATEMENTS OF AZERBAIJANI LEADERSHIP
STRASBOURG, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Oskanian
participated in the 117th Session of the Council of Europe Committee of
Ministers. In his statement, Minister Oskanian recognized how Armenia
has changed during the years since Council of Europe membership. He
also referred to the major domestic and foreign policy issues — the
parliamentary elections and the resolution process of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.
"There is one commitment left which we made together with Azerbaijan,
when we entered this organization, that we would achieve a peaceful,
lasting resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Judging purely
from the content of the negotiating document and the nature of the
principles included there, and the progress we’ve made on that
document, we have hope that an agreement is possible. A major part of
the progress comes from the fact that all involved have come to
acknowledge and agree that at the end of the day, it’s the people of
Nagorno Karabakh which should determine their future status through a
referendum, and through the exercise of their right to
self-determination," V. Oskanian said.
In the words of the foreign minister, "there are some factors which
dampen our optimism. First, I worry that the content and spirit of the
negotiations are not matched by the public statements that are
regularly heard from the Azerbaijani leadership. Second, the endless
Azerbaijani references to a possible military solution are
counterproductive, not to say dangerous."
The Session, held in Strasbourg on May 11, 2007, included several
agenda items, including closer cooperation between the Council of
Europe and the European Union. This was the topic of a special meeting
held a day earlier, during which Minister Oskanian’s intervention
addressed the need for closer and more efficient institutional links
between these two major European institutions.
According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department, in the
margins of the Ministerial Meeting, Minister Oskanian met with the
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and discussed regional
issues, as well as the Commissioner’s future visit to Armenia.
Minister Oskanian also met with the Council of Europe Monitoring Group,
known as the Ago Group, and responded to questions on Armenia’s
regional relations, and on the parliamentary elections.
The Minister confirmed that he shared the Council of Europe’s strong
interest in open and fair elections and looked forward to a favorable
report by the OSCE ODIHR observation mission. Minister Oskanian also
responded to the Ago Group’s question about the Nagorno Karabakh
negotiation process.
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