EXPERT: APPROACHES OF MINSK GROUP AND ARMENIAN SIDE ON KARABAKH ISSUE COINCIDE
19:00 10/12/2012 ” INTERVIEWS
The statement issued by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chair countries on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial
Council meeting in Dublin is in harmony with the accentuations made in
the speech of Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian, political scientist Hrant
Melik-Shahnazaryan told Panorama.am in an interview.
“It is clearly seen that Azerbaijan hinders progress in the
negotiations and it is clear that currently the two Armenian states
and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, on the one hand, and Azerbaijan,
on the other hand, have appeared in opposite positions,” he noted.
According to him, in his remarks, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian
highlighted the circumstance that Azerbaijan departs from the
agreements reached, attempting to derive a one-sided benefit from the
negotiation process, which is also reflected in the Dublin statement
of the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries.
“There is no doubt that the international community, and first of all
the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, realize that this position of
Azerbaijan is a serious obstacle in the way of Karabakh conflict
settlement. Nevertheless, it is regrettable that the international
community and particularly the Co-Chairs continue their policy of not
mentioning any addressee in their statements. This, in fact, paves the
way for the Azerbaijani leadership to continue the political course
that is indirectly criticized at present,” said Hrant
Melik-Shahnazaryan.
“Both the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair
countries and the Armenian Foreign Minister draw the international
community’s attention to the fact that Azerbaijan continues
anti-Armenian propaganda. Moreover, our neighboring country views such
manifestations as heroism. Naturally the international community
realizes very well that this cannot contribute to the establishment of
peace and overcoming of hatred between the two peoples,” he added.
We will remind that Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey
Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Rodham
Clinton, and Minister Delegate for European Affairs of France Bernard
Cazeneuve issued the following statement on December 6:
“On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Dublin,
we, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair
countries, call upon the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to
demonstrate the political will needed to reach a peaceful settlement.
As our Presidents stated at Los Cabos on June 18, 2012, the parties
should be guided by the Helsinki principles, particularly those
relating to the non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial
integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and the
elements outlined in our countries’ statements at L’Aquila in 2009 and
Muskoka in 2010. Recalling the statement of our Presidents at
Deauville in 2011, we again urge the parties to take decisive steps to
reach a peaceful settlement.
“We regret that the expectations of more rapid progress in the peace
process, which were raised by the Joint Statement of the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the President of the Russian Federation
at Sochi on January 23, 2012, were not met. Instead, the parties have
too often sought one-sided advantage in the negotiation process,
rather than seeking to find agreement, based upon mutual
understanding. While recognizing the decrease in serious incidents
along the Line of Contact and the border in recent months, we remind
the parties of the need to continue to respect the ceasefire of 1994,
and that the use of military force will not resolve the conflict. We
urge the parties to refrain from actions and statements that foster
feelings of enmity among their populations and have raised tensions in
recent months. The leaders of the sides must prepare their populations
for the day when they will live again as neighbors, not enemies, with
full respect for each other’s culture, history, and traditions.
“We call upon the parties to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency in
the peace process and to work with the Co-Chairs to give full and
careful consideration to ideas presented by the Co-Chairs during their
trip to the region in November. We welcome the readiness of the
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to meet jointly with the
Co-Chairs early in 2013 to continue these discussions. Our countries
continue to stand ready to do whatever we can to assist the parties,
but the responsibility for putting an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict remains with them.”
Source: Panorama.am