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BAKU: Armenian FM claims accord close on NK status

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  • BAKU: Armenian FM claims accord close on NK status

    Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
    October 28, 2008 Tuesday



    ARMENIAN FM CLAIMS ACCORD CLOSE ON GARABAGH STATUS


    Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has said one step remains
    to be taken in reaching agreement on the status of Upper (Nagorno)
    Garabagh, referring to an Azeri region under Armenian occupation.
    Nalbandian told the BBC Radio Azerbaijan bureau that if political will
    was put forth, more issues regarding the conflict settlement would be
    resolved. When the status issue is solved, the solution of all
    remaining issues will be simplified.

    The status should be determined by a referendum, through the
    expression of free will of the people of Upper Garabagh, he
    claimed. Bakus stance on the issue is intransigent. Azerbaijani
    officials have repeatedly stated that Azerbaijans territorial
    integrity must be restored. Talks on the status of Upper Garabagh may
    be launched only after that, and a referendum to determine it is
    possible only if the vote covers the entire territory of
    Azerbaijan. The two South Caucasus republics fought a lengthy war that
    ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues
    to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in
    defiance of international law. Peace talks have been fruitless so
    far. Commenting on the statements suggesting that only one or two
    issues remain to be resolved between the conflicting sides, Nalbandian
    said: I dont think that nearly all outstanding issues have been
    solved, with only one or two remaining. We are currently at the stage
    asserted by the two countries presidents in St. Petersburg. The
    Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders then reaffirmed their commitment to
    further talks on the basis of the Madrid proposals, which were
    proposed by the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in November
    2007. Nalbandian said Yerevan hoped an opportunity would emerge for
    the next meeting of the two leaders after Azerbaijans October 15
    presidential elections, and this meeting would invigorate peace
    talks. During the last round of talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev
    and Serzh Sarkisian outside St. Petersburg, Russia early in June, the
    Russian, French and US mediators offered alternate options on
    resolving disputed issues to the heads of state. Although the gist of
    the proposals was not disclosed, the co-chairs said they were
    expecting responses from the two leaders. Although no decisions were
    passed during the talks, the parties agreed to keep on negotiating on
    the level of foreign ministers. Touching on Armenias relations with
    Turkey, Nalbandian said their normalization had no bearing on his
    countrys relations with Azerbaijan. Approaching the Armenia-Turkey and
    Armenia-Azerbaijan relations in the same context is wrong. Nalbandian
    said revitalization is expected in the Garabagh talks soon, but it is
    unrelated to dialog between Yerevan and Ankara. He added that he was
    optimistic about the future of Armenian-Turkish relations. At the same
    time, he admitted that the Armenian community was discontent with the
    efforts being made to normalize bilateral ties. Armenia and Turkey
    have been at odds over historic differences and the border between the
    two countries has been closed since 1993. The two neighboring states
    maintain no diplomatic ties.
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