Azeri opposition official blames government for Karabakh policy failures
Azadliq, Baku
30 Dec 04
Text of Xayal Sahinoglu report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 30
December headlined “Another defeat of Ilham Aliyev’s diplomacy” and
subheaded “The authorities give up the idea of discussing the Karabakh
issue at the UN at the demand of the Minsk Group” and “Fuad
Qahramanli: ‘Under the Aliyevs, Azerbaijan’s foreign policy has been
in such a situation that not only Armenia and its allies, but also the
international community are speaking in the language of pressure to
Azerbaijan'”
Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands will not be discussed at the
UN. The reason is the Azerbaijani authorities’ commitment to the
OSCE. The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE [Minsk Group], Yuriy
Merzlyakov, recently publicized an agreement Azerbaijan and Armenia
reached three months ago. Armenia will allow the co-chairmen to
monitor the occupied Azerbaijani territories if the Karabakh conflict
is not discussed at the UN, Merzlyakov said.
The co-chairman’s statement shows that Azerbaijani diplomacy has not
gained even a minimum advantage, let alone serious success, in the
resolution of the conflict, a member of the presidium of the People’s
Front of Azerbaijan Party [PFAP], Fuad Qahramanli, said. Saying that
the co-chairmen are clearly speaking from Armenia’s position,
Qahramanli noted that as a victim of the aggression, Azerbaijan is in
a more difficult diplomatic position than Armenia.
“It is clearly seen that the co-chairmen are speaking from Armenia’s
position, which is something that challenges the impartiality of the
negotiations within the framework of the OSCE and the resolution of
the problem in accordance with the principles of international law. If
the OSCE Minsk Group is dealing with the resolution of the conflict,
it should be monitoring the occupied territories despite any
problem. The co-chairmen should investigate the accuracy of the
information about Armenians settling in the occupied territories. It
turns out that if Azerbaijan had not given up the idea of discussing
the Karabakh conflict at the UN, the OSCE Minsk Group would have
remained indifferent towards the settlement of Armenians in the
occupied lands. This is a serious problem of Azerbaijani diplomacy and
the reason why it has emerged is the foreign policy which was once
conducted by [the late Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev and is now
being conducted by his son [Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev].”
He said that the good-for-nothing foreign policy Heydar Aliyev and his
son have been conducting for many years has dealt a serious blow to
Azerbaijan’s international standing. Therefore, the international
community challenges Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
“Under the Aliyevs, Azerbaijan’s foreign policy has been in such a
situation that not only Armenia and its allies, but also the
international community are speaking in the language of pressure to
Azerbaijan. Only Islamic countries supported Azerbaijan when the
Karabakh issue was put on the UN agenda. It is a logical result of the
setbacks in our foreign policy that the world community actually
questions Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.”
Saying that it would be illogical to await any outcome in Azerbaijan’s
favour from the negotiations in the present circumstances, Qahramanli
believes that responsibility for this situation lies with the
authorities.
“The government has been promulgating for a long time the idea that
our country will increase its international allies as a result of its
oil policy. It becomes clear today that no progress has been made at
all. On the contrary, the number of Azerbaijan’s international allies
has begun to decrease.”
Qahramanli chided the government for the fact that the occupied lands
are being used as a means of pressure on Azerbaijan.
“The Foreign Ministry has not expressed its attitude to what has
happened so far. It proves once again that as a state entity, the
authorities do not have the will, political power and diplomatic
capabilities to resolve the Karabakh conflict, which is considered to
be the country’s main problem.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress