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Yerevan deadlocked after Baku's accepting peace outline

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  • Yerevan deadlocked after Baku's accepting peace outline

    AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
    April 9 2010

    Yerevan deadlocked after Baku's accepting peace outline

    09-04-2010 05:30:49


    Azerbaijan's accepting the updated version of the Madrid principles,
    an outline for settling the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict proposed
    by international mediators, has caused Armenia's deadlock. Yerevan,
    which signed the document at the Athens ministerial in late 2009, has
    drastically altered its position, analysts say.
    Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during a visit to Estonia on
    Wednesday that by rejecting the renewed Madrid principles, submitted
    by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Armenia is seeking to
    maintain the status quo in the conflict settlement, is unwilling to
    pull its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and is
    trying to delay the peace process.
    The Minsk Group co-chairs representing the United States, Russia and
    France initially proposed the peace outline in the Spanish capital in
    November 2007. In Athens in November 2009, the updated version of the
    Madrid Document was submitted to the sides, and it is presently under
    discussion. Baku supports the updated Madrid Document with some
    exceptions, which cover the wording of the conflict settlement
    principles and the translation of terms.
    Armenia's maneuvering in dealing with the Madrid principles and its
    opposing stance, along with complicating the stalled peace talks,
    provides grounds for Azerbaijan to pursue other options for resolving
    the long-lasting dispute, and Aliyev's speaking about the Garabagh
    problem in Estonia substantiates this conclusion.
    Some Azerbaijani analysts suggest that if no progress is achieved in
    the negotiating process by May, tension will rise in the region,
    translating at least into more beligerent rhetoric and more frequent
    ceasefire violations on the contact line of the Azerbaijani and
    Armenian troops.
    The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics flared up in the
    late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been
    occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory since the early
    1990s. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but years of peace
    talks have brought few tangible results, and sporadic clashes on the
    frontline continue.*
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