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  • Return of territories against status

    RETURN OF TERRITORIES AGAINST STATUS

    AZG Armenian Daily #099, 01/06/2005

    Karabakh issue

    Negotiation Process Develops in Two Directions: Withdrawal of Armed
    Forces from Neighboring Regions of NKR and Future Status of NKR

    After the meeting in Warsaw, new opportunities can be observed
    in Nagorno Karabakh settlement issue. Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign
    minister, said that there is an agenda in the current stage comprising
    several issues that may well "turn into a package if progress if there
    is progress in resolution process". Vartan Oskanian stated that the
    issues of NKR status and the return of the neighboring territories of
    NKR, the rerun of the refugees, the security guarantees are mutually
    connected.

    RA foreign minister believes that the public discussion of certain
    elements of the negotiation process may cause misunderstanding and
    make harm to positive developments in negotiations, that were fixed
    after the last meeting of RA and Azeri presidents. RA foreign minister
    told this to a press conference.

    After Kocharian-Aliyev meeting in Warsaw official Yerevan and Baku
    made optimistic statements. The Armenian side states that certain
    progress is fixed in the issue of NKR status, while the Azeri side
    emphasizes the issue of 7 neighboring regions, stating that Yerevan
    is ready to return them. It's worth mentioning that Bernard Fassie,
    OSCE French co-chair, stated that the negotiation process develops
    in two directions, i.e. the withdrawal of the armed forces from 7
    neighboring regions of NKR and the future status of NKR.

    On May 26-27, the OSCE Minsk group met with Safar Abiyev and Elmar
    Mamediarov, Azeri defense and foreign ministers, as well as with
    Ilham Aliyev. Yuri Merzliakov, OSCE Russian co-chair, dwelt on the
    positive impressions from the negotiations. Mediamax agency informed
    that Merzliakov considered the meeting with Ilham Aliyev a very
    important one.

    "Our last visit to Baku was not an ordinary visit to the region,
    we had the aim to meet with Azeri foreign minister. We are thankful
    to Ilham Aliyev that he found time to receive the co-chairs. We had a
    very interesting and important discussion that allows us to hope that
    the process will undergo constructive development," Merzliakov said.

    If Yerevan and Baku, as well as the mediators express certain optimism
    for the current stage of the settlement, Stepanakert differs in
    its opinion. Touching upon the negotiations in Warsaw, NKR foreign
    minister said that the process aroused great interest but the results,
    "not a single visible progress was made."

    "The co-chairs state that there is a progress. The foreign ministers
    believe that they may speak of a progress, but it isn't clear yet
    what progress they mean. Not a single preliminary agreement connected
    with NKR issue can never be carried out without the content and the
    participation of NKR people and its authorities. In this respect, we
    should be calm and wait for the obvious results of the process. There
    are no results yet. There are mutual optimistic statements that are
    grounded, which is not bad," Arman Melikian, NKR foreign minister said.

    These statements can be commented in two ways. Yerevan sends signals
    to the mediators through Stepanakert, according to which the position
    of NKR people and authorities is a primary one in the settlement
    process, or there are some contradictions in the positions of Yerevan
    and Stepanakert in the methodology issue. At least, one thing is
    clear that Karabakh has become an object in the settlement process,
    i.e. an object for dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

    By Tatoul Hakobian
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