Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani lawmakers voiced support for the strongly-worded statement made by President Ilham Aliyev prior to his talks on the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict held with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Munich, Germany on Sunday.
President Aliyev said in the Goranboy region, while addressing refugees displaced by the armed conflict in the early 1990s that, if the Munich talks failed to yield fruit, peace talks with Armenia would be halted and Azerbaijan could move to regain its occupied territories by force.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but over a decade of efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been fruitless so far.
MP Zahid Oruj told the parliamentary session that the president’s statement should not be interpreted as a threat. He noted that President Aliyev had expressed not only his own stance but also that of the entire nation, as well as delivered a message to the world community.
Igbal Agazada, chairman of opposition Umid (Hope) Party, blamed Russia for the lingering Garabagh conflict. He opined that Moscow had caused the dispute and it could be settled if Azerbaijan’s northern neighbor sought a solution.
Agazada also suggested that the foreign minister, who is involved in peace talks, should report to parliament on the matter. "Sooner or later we have to find out what they want from us and what we want in talks."
Sabir Rustamkhanly, chairman of the opposition-leaning Civil Solidarity Party, said the opposition is not opposed to the president’s position in Garabagh negotiations, but the president "should not be the only one expressing the country’s stance." Along with the head of state, Azerbaijan’s parliament, political parties and non-governmental organizations should defend the country’s fair cause.
Panah Huseyn, an MP from opposition Musavat party, suggested disclosing to the public the peace outline dubbed the Madrid principles, which was submitted to Baku and Yerevan by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in late 2007. He claimed that one of these principles envisions determining the status of Upper Garabagh through a referendum, which would hurt Azerbaijan’s interests.
Baku says the occupied districts must be freed and Azerbaijani refugees returned home, and only after that could the status of Upper Garabagh be determined within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Fazil Gazanfaroghlu, chairman of the Great Establishment Party, noted that speculations are made at times about Garabagh settlement talks, suggesting that the leaders of the parties represented in parliament be informed about the course of negotiations. At such a meeting, the parliament leadership would notify party leaders about some details of the negotiating process. The MP added that such a meeting should be held behind closed doors and party leaders are to assume responsibility to protect the confidentiality of information they obtain.*