Day.Az, Azerbaijan
March 15 2008
TOP AZERI DIPLOMAT HAILS UN RESOLUTION, ATTACKS KARABAKH MEDIATORS
A senior Azerbaijani diplomat has praised the UN General Assembly
resolution calling for Armenian withdrawal from Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories as an important and timely document.
"We think that a very important document has been adopted. This
document has legal and political force,"the Azerbaijani website
Day.az and Turan news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Araz
Azimov as saying.
"We put forward this resolution in a timely manner," following
Kosovo’s declaration of independencefrom Serbia. "Hereby, the General
Assembly confirmed Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity again,"
Azimovsaid.
The UN General Assembly on 14 March approved the resolution demanding
that all Armenian forces pull out ofAzerbaijan’s breakaway region of
Nagornyy Karabakh and surrounding districts.
"Yesterday’s vote and discussions allow us to say that the
international community has expressed itsposition very clearly. And
Armenia should realize that there are certain principles and norms,"
Azimov said.
The Azerbaijani diplomat said that the resolution was a "serious
warning" to the USA, Russia and France -the co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group mediating a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
All three countries voted against the Azerbaijani-drafted resolution.
"The co-chairs have placed themselves in a very difficult situation,"
Azimov said. "They should haveno doubt that from now on, work with
them will be carried out on the basis of principles adopted by the UN
GeneralAssembly."
Azimov accused the USA, Russia and France of establishing a
"monopoly" on the settlement process and hintedthat Azerbaijan might
want Turkey or Germany to become co-chairs of the Minsk Group.
"Having established a monopoly on the resolution of the conflict
within the framework of the Minsk Group, theco-chairs perhaps feel
very comfortable. We will certainly continue working with the
co-chairs, but our work with themshould be changed fundamentally.
"The co-chair should understand that they are not monopolists, nor
can they become monopolists. There areseveral countries in the Minsk
Group. Turkey, which is a member of the Minsk Group, has always
supported us. Germany hasrepeatedly supported Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity at the highest level," Azimov said.