Azeri official comments on cease-fire breaches on border
ANS TV, Baku
19 Jun 04
[Presenter] Baku has commented on reports about intense cease-fire
violations on the border. Novruz Mammadov, head of the international
relations department of the Presidential Executive Staff, said the
firefights with the Armenian armed forces on the Azerbaijani border
was a result of Yerevan’s harmful policy. The official did not rule out
that the Armenian community of Karabakh will be brought to book for the
conduct of the unlawful municipal elections on Azerbaijani territory.
[Correspondent over Karabakh villages] The campaign to nominate
candidates for the municipal elections by the Armenian community of
Nagornyy Karabakh kicked off today. The nomination campaign will end
on 24 June and the process of registering the candidates will continue
until 19 July. The election campaign will start on the same day. Let us
remind you that the municipal elections will be held by the Armenian
community in Nagornyy Karabakh on 8 August. Baku is not planing to
turn a blind eye to this move of the Armenian separatists. Statements
have already been sent to a number of international organizations
urging them to prevent such illegal measures from taking place in
the occupied territory of Azerbaijan.
Novruz Mammadov, head of the international relations department of
the Presidential Executive Staff, said that the issue of the illegal
municipal elections in Nagornyy Karabakh will be put on the agenda
of the Council of Europe first of all.
[Mammadov, shown speaking from his office] This act is undoubtedly
illegal. The appropriate bodies of Azerbaijan have spoken against
it and will continue to do so. The Milli Maclis and the Azerbaijani
parliamentarians in the Council of Europe will air their views in
the upcoming sessions. All this is illegal and lacks international
support. I would like to reiterate that all this is nothing less than
an attempt by the separatists to hearten themselves.
[Correspondent] Mammadov believes that international organizations
are currently actively trying to resolve the conflict. And very often
their approaches are in harmony with Azerbaijan’s position. The world
supports Azerbaijan’s demand that the conflict be resolved reasonably.
[Mammadov] From this point of view, both the Karabakh separatists
and the Armenian leadership are finding themselves isolated from
the world community. To alleviate such treatment and to parry these
blows, they resort to such measures. The crux of the matter is that
the Armenian separatists want to create certain institutions in
the occupied territory of Azerbaijan. They resort to such methods
from time to time, i.e. violate all laws by holding the so-called
presidential and municipal elections in the self-styled NKR.
[Correspondent] Obviously Nagornyy Karabakh has not been recognized
and will not be recognized in the future as well, Mammadov said,
adding that the municipal elections have no legal basis. The conduct
of such measures once again proves that the separatist Armenian regime
does not want to resolve the conflict. The separatist regime’s plans
to conduct the unlawful election in Nagornyy Karabakh, which is an
integral part of Azerbaijan, is not their first or their last illegal
action. The Armenian side, which often violates the cease-fire
regime on the border with Azerbaijan and along the contact line,
once again proved that it is not ready for a constructive solution
to the conflict. The recent and intense breaches of the cease-fire
regime are not accidental, Mammadov said. The opposite side is taking
well-planned and well-considered steps.
[Mammadov] Armenian President Kocharyan is no longer trusted by his
people because of his failure to fulfill his election promises. The
resistance against him within the country is strengthening. By
violating the cease-fire regime, the Armenian leadership wants to
soften pressure and divert the attention from them to something else.
The second reason is also very important and is connected with the
first one: the Armenian leadership wants to decrease the external
pressure. Mammadov is sure that Armenia has never and will never
benefit from such an adventurist policy. Therefore, the Armenian
leadership should without fail put an end to this.
[Mammadov] Now the cease-fire regime has been breached in Qazax
District, some 200-300 kilometers from Nagornyy Karabakh. This
was a result of Armenia’s false and notorious policy. I would
like to reiterate that we have informed all interested states and
organizations, such as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, of this.
[Correspondent] Azerbaijan’s position on the problem is
constructive. It is ready for negotiations. Mammadov said that Yerevan
should not have breached the cease-fire regime.
Ayaz Mirzayev, Ibrahim Telmanoglu for ANS.