Aliyev Slams Minsk Group, Armenia Over Lingering Karabakh Conflict

ALIYEV SLAMS MINSK GROUP, ARMENIA OVER LINGERING KARABAKH CONFLICT

TERT.AM
11:09 ~U 20.03.13

The Azerbaijani president has criticized Armenia and the OSCE Minsk
Group over a failure to reach a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

“The most painful issue for our country, the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Karabakh, won’t find a solution, unfortunately,”
Ilham Aliev said, accusing Armenia of non-constructivism and the
international mediators – of indifference.

“Armenia is, of course, interested in the maximum long maintenance of
the status quo, a situation which implies neither a war nor peace,
but that cannot satisfy us. Azerbaijan uses and will keep using
all the possible tools to promote a progress and development in
the negotiation process to achieve a quick settlement and have its
territorial integrity reinstated,” the Azerbaijani leader said in a
congratulatory speech dedicated Nowruz, the Iranian new year.

He then stressed the importance of relying on the norms of
international law while achieving a solution.

Aliyev said he is confident that the conflict will be resolved in
Azerbaijan’s favor.

“We seek and must seek for a settlement in the nearest future. I don’t
have the slightest doubt that the problem will be resolved in our
favor. The question is when and in what way. We now give preference
to a diplomatic solution. In the meantime, we keep making country
more powerful. We are isolating Armenia from all regional projects
and will pursue those policies in future,” he added.