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ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: YEREVAN MUST TOUGHEN ITS POSITION IN KARABAKH TALKS
Regnum, Russia
June 18 2007
Statements that the OSCE Minsk Group for Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement has exhausted itself is an Azerbaijani idea and the
Armenian side must not pick up the idea, member of the Dashnaktsutyun
ARF Bureau, Armenian Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan
announced at a news conference in Yerevan today. A REGNUM correspondent
quotes him as saying that the OSCE MG co-chairs have done a serious
work and none of international institutions like the Council of Europe,
or the UN or even the CIS, has such a professional and peculiar
team like the OSCE Minsk Group. "It is too early now to state the
task of the group is exhausted. We are satisfied with their activity
and we see development, a more profound understanding of the issue
and reflection of this understanding in the documents they propose,
which naturally angers Azerbaijan," the deputy speaker said.
Hovhannisyan believes that under the current condition the OSCE MG
co-chairs have done the utmost. Despite alternative statements made
by Armenia and Azerbaijan, they managed to create a document that at
least was capable of becoming a basis for the settlement. The problem
is Azerbaijan's position, the deputy speaker believes. "I believe
that from now on Armenia must toughen its position and introduce two
tasks into the agenda: until Azerbaijan announces what concessions
it is ready to make, we shall not discuss the issue. The second task
is Nagorno Karabakh's participation in the negotiation process,"
he stressed. By present moment, says Hovhannisyan, Azerbaijan does
not give up attempts to transfer the settlement issue from the OSCE
to the United Nations. "Azerbaijan understands it fully that more
Muslim countries are represented in the UN that do not understand
the gist of the conflict, but grounding on the religious solidarity
will vote, as it often happens, for a pro-Azerbaijani resolution,"
the politician stressed. Commenting on statements that recognition
of Kosovo independence cannot become a precedent for settling other
territorial conflicts, the deputy speaker noted that such statements do
not cost a cent as it would be impossible to explain to the Karabakh or
any other nation why they are not allowed to have what the Albanians
have. "I am sure that recognition of Kosovo independence will become
a precedent for settlement of other territorial conflicts," he noted.
Speaking about presidential election in Nagorno Karabakh, Hovhannisyan
stressed that the national interests claim for a smooth change of power
in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. He also assured that elections in
Nagorno Karabakh have always been much more democratic than in other
neighboring countries, including Armenia, and expressed confidence
that this would happen at the forthcoming election too.
Regnum, Russia
June 18 2007
Statements that the OSCE Minsk Group for Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement has exhausted itself is an Azerbaijani idea and the
Armenian side must not pick up the idea, member of the Dashnaktsutyun
ARF Bureau, Armenian Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan
announced at a news conference in Yerevan today. A REGNUM correspondent
quotes him as saying that the OSCE MG co-chairs have done a serious
work and none of international institutions like the Council of Europe,
or the UN or even the CIS, has such a professional and peculiar
team like the OSCE Minsk Group. "It is too early now to state the
task of the group is exhausted. We are satisfied with their activity
and we see development, a more profound understanding of the issue
and reflection of this understanding in the documents they propose,
which naturally angers Azerbaijan," the deputy speaker said.
Hovhannisyan believes that under the current condition the OSCE MG
co-chairs have done the utmost. Despite alternative statements made
by Armenia and Azerbaijan, they managed to create a document that at
least was capable of becoming a basis for the settlement. The problem
is Azerbaijan's position, the deputy speaker believes. "I believe
that from now on Armenia must toughen its position and introduce two
tasks into the agenda: until Azerbaijan announces what concessions
it is ready to make, we shall not discuss the issue. The second task
is Nagorno Karabakh's participation in the negotiation process,"
he stressed. By present moment, says Hovhannisyan, Azerbaijan does
not give up attempts to transfer the settlement issue from the OSCE
to the United Nations. "Azerbaijan understands it fully that more
Muslim countries are represented in the UN that do not understand
the gist of the conflict, but grounding on the religious solidarity
will vote, as it often happens, for a pro-Azerbaijani resolution,"
the politician stressed. Commenting on statements that recognition
of Kosovo independence cannot become a precedent for settling other
territorial conflicts, the deputy speaker noted that such statements do
not cost a cent as it would be impossible to explain to the Karabakh or
any other nation why they are not allowed to have what the Albanians
have. "I am sure that recognition of Kosovo independence will become
a precedent for settlement of other territorial conflicts," he noted.
Speaking about presidential election in Nagorno Karabakh, Hovhannisyan
stressed that the national interests claim for a smooth change of power
in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. He also assured that elections in
Nagorno Karabakh have always been much more democratic than in other
neighboring countries, including Armenia, and expressed confidence
that this would happen at the forthcoming election too.