Karabakh Authorities Deny Claims Of Settlements In Disputed Areas

KARABAKH AUTHORITIES DENY CLAIMS OF SETTLEMENTS IN DISPUTED AREAS

Interfax
Aug 2 2012
Russia

The Foreign Ministry of the breakaway Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
has dismissed reports about settlements in the republic, as claimed
earlier by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe) permanent mission in Azerbaijan.

“Despite the obvious fact that accepting migrants in one’s own
territory is the sovereign right of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh,
the distributed disinformation is absolutely baseless, which is proved
by the results of a monitoring of the situation in these territories,
conducted by the OSCE mission in 2010. As for the 2005 report by the
OSCE fact-finding mission, invoked by Azerbaijan’s permanent mission,
we consider it necessary to remind that according to a statement by
the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, the mission has not found any
obviously organized settlement and has not found the settlement to
be a result of a deliberate policy,” the Nagorno-Karabakh foreign
ministry said.

Azerbaijan has already started settlements in a number in disputed
territories, it also said.

“Moreover, Azerbaijan has for many years refused to agree to a similar
monitoring being conducted in these areas, which is indisputable
proof of their settlements and should raise serious concerns with
the OSCE and other international organizations,” the Nagorno-Karabakh
ministry said.