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Armenia says Azerbaijan should talk with Nagorno-Karabakh authorities
The Associated Press
12/18/04 10:04 EST
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Armenia called on Azerbaijan on Saturday to
negotiate directly with the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed
enclave within Azerbaijan that fuels enmity between the two ex-Soviet
republics a decade after a cease-fire.
The comment from Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gamlet Gasparian
came after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev reacted angrily to a
statement from Russian parliament speaker Boris Gryzlov, who referred
to Armenia as Russia's outpost in the Caucasus region.
"We are confused: We have always considered Armenia a state, but
now it turns out that it is an outpost," Aliev told journalists on
Friday. "So whom should we negotiate with now - the outpost or the
master of the outpost?" he said.
Responding in turn with sarcasm, Gasparian said that "if the
Azerbaijani side is confused and doesn't know with whom to negotiate,
we must point them toward Stepanakert," referring to the capital of
ethnic Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh. "We hope they know well
where Nagorno-Karabakh is," he said.
Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia drove Azerbaijani troops out
of Nagorno-Karabakh in a six-year war that killed some 30,000 people
and drove a million from their homes. A cease-fire was reached in
1994, but the unresolved conflict damages both nations' economies
and raises the threat of renewed war.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been involved in an international effort
to reach a settlement, sponsored by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe and led by Russia, France and the United
States. Azerbaijan refuses to negotiate with the international
unrecognized government of Nagorno-Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
The Associated Press
12/18/04 10:04 EST
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Armenia called on Azerbaijan on Saturday to
negotiate directly with the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed
enclave within Azerbaijan that fuels enmity between the two ex-Soviet
republics a decade after a cease-fire.
The comment from Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gamlet Gasparian
came after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev reacted angrily to a
statement from Russian parliament speaker Boris Gryzlov, who referred
to Armenia as Russia's outpost in the Caucasus region.
"We are confused: We have always considered Armenia a state, but
now it turns out that it is an outpost," Aliev told journalists on
Friday. "So whom should we negotiate with now - the outpost or the
master of the outpost?" he said.
Responding in turn with sarcasm, Gasparian said that "if the
Azerbaijani side is confused and doesn't know with whom to negotiate,
we must point them toward Stepanakert," referring to the capital of
ethnic Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh. "We hope they know well
where Nagorno-Karabakh is," he said.
Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia drove Azerbaijani troops out
of Nagorno-Karabakh in a six-year war that killed some 30,000 people
and drove a million from their homes. A cease-fire was reached in
1994, but the unresolved conflict damages both nations' economies
and raises the threat of renewed war.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been involved in an international effort
to reach a settlement, sponsored by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe and led by Russia, France and the United
States. Azerbaijan refuses to negotiate with the international
unrecognized government of Nagorno-Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress