BAKU: Replacing US co-chair not mean change in Washington attitude

Trend, Azerbaijan
Aug 14 2009

Replacing U.S. co-chairman of OSCE MG not mean change in Washington’s attitude towards conflict: MP

Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.14 / Trend News J. Babayeva /

Deputy executive secretary of New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), MP Mubariz
Gurbanli considers thatreplacing the U.S co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group does not mean change in Washington’s attitude towards the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"New U.S. diplomat will need certain time to study the
conflict. However, there is an inherit principle in the
diplomacy. Replacing the U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group does
not mean that Washington’s attitude towards the Armenian- Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will change. The main factor in diplomacy is
State interests," Gurbanli told NAP website.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

The media reported that diplomat Tina Kaidanow will replace Matthew
Bryza, U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Armenia had a joy with the probability of appointment of Kaidanow, who
was dealing with Kosova issue formerly.

"Manipulating on the conflict, the invader Armenia informs that as
though Kaidanow’s appointment means that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
will be resolved based on the Kosova model. It is wrong to draw
analogy between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Kosovo. Because
Kosovo was problem requiring different aspects of approach. The
mediating countries in this problem did not mention the territorial
integrity of Serbia. However, France, Russia and the U.S. have
official positions on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," the MP
said.