InternationalNagorno-Karabakh conflict may be resolved “in months,” French foreign minister says
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers exchange diplomatic fire
Published: Friday December 04, 2009
From left, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Foreign Ministers Bernard Kouchner of France, Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation, Edward Nalbandian of Armenia, and Elmar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens, Dec. 1, 2009. OSCE
Yerevan - The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved on the basis of the principles of the nonuse of force or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples, principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE Minsk Group said in a statement issued on December 1 in Athens after high-level talks between diplomats from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, France, and the United States.
Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian of Armenia and Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan reported progress during the course of this year in achieving a common understanding on elements of the proposed framework agreement, known as the Basic Principles. They asserted the willingness of their countries to complete work on the Basic Principles, as stipulated by the presidents of the United States, Russia, and France at the L'Aquila Summit of the Eight on July 10, 2009. The three countries co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates in the conflict. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work intensively to resolve the remaining issues, said the statement.
The heads of delegation of the three countries, Sergey Lavrov, foreign minister of the Russian Federation, Bernard Kouchner, foreign minister of France, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, in their joint statement recalled the commitments made in the November 2008 Moscow Declaration and in the December 2008 Helsinki OSCE Ministerial Statement.
They noted the positive dynamic in the talks, demonstrated through six meetings this year between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. They agreed that the increasing frequency of these meetings has significantly contributed to an enhanced dialogue between the parties and forward movement toward finalizing the Basic Principles for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, proposed in Madrid on November 29, 2007.
Can't push too hard
The senior diplomats urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to complete this work as soon as possible. They stressed that agreement on the Basic Principles would provide the framework for a comprehensive settlement to promote a future of peace, stability, and prosperity for the entire region.
As usual, the OSCE Ministerial Council, comprising the foreign ministers of the 56 member states, in its final statement also touched upon the Karabakh conflict.:
"We urge the parties to sustain the positive dynamic of the negotiations and strongly support their commitment to finalize the Basic Principles on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, based on the Madrid Document in order to begin drafting a comprehensive peace agreement in good faith and without delay. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work intensively to resolve the remaining issues, to reach an agreement based, in particular, upon the principles of the Helsinki Final Act of Non-Use of Force or Threat of Force, Territorial Integrity, and the Equal Rights and Self-Determination of Peoples," the statement read.
Dr. Kouchner told reporters: "In a peace process, it is very difficult to force the door or to push too hard because this is very fragile. I am confident it will be done. Immediately? No. In the coming months? Yes."
Dr. Kouchner touched upon the Karabakh issue during his speech at the Ministerial Council meeting. "The time has come for decisions, and I urge the two parties to take the opportunity offered them and to confirm without further ado the principles for settlement that have been proposed to them so as to be able to move finally to the drafting of a settlement on an agreed basis".
Azerbaijani volleys
Each OSCE member state representative has an opportunity to address the gathering. As usual, the Azerbaijani side used the podium for anti-Armenian propaganda and to distort the essence of the negotiations.
Stating that as a result of the conflict "almost 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan has been still occupied by Armenia, around 1 million ethnically cleansed Azerbaijani population has become internally displaced and refugees, thousands of Azerbaijani historical-cultural heritage items on the occupied territories devastated and looted," Mr. Mammadyarov said, "Azerbaijan maintains a position of constructiveness and stands for peaceful and cooperative coexistence of Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan."
He further said, "This will create basis for normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Providing self-governance for Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan will be a just and durable solution, as well as it can dramatically reduce tensions and challenges for peace and stability in the region."
"We in Azerbaijan strongly believe that withdrawal of Armenian troops in a fixed time framework from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will open a tremendous opportunity for the region, providing different environment of predictability, development, and benefit for everyone and for the entire region. This is the core of the issue," he added.
Parallel processes
The foreign minister of Armenia, in turn, made a strongly worded address in response to the distorted picture drawn by his Azerbaijani counterpart. This diplomatic exchange came just one day after the international community expressed optimism about the prospects for the early settlement of the conflict.
In his address, Mr. Nalbandian started with Armenian-Turkish relations, saying, "We have made a significant step forward with the Turkish side, by signing the Protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and on the development of bilateral relations, on 10 October in Zurich"
