Azernews.Az

Armenian President Robert Kocharian has threatened to alter his country's policy on the settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
"The policy pursued by Azerbaijan compels Armenia and Garabagh to adjust their approaches to the conflict resolution," Kocharian claimed Monday on a visit to Upper Garabagh, an Azeri region occupied by Armenia.
He maintained that Yerevan was being prompted to take the step by Azerbaijan's efforts aimed at transfering the Garabagh settlement from the OSCE's to the United Nations' format as well as Baku's statements concerning a military option to resolve the dispute.
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% of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s. Years of OSCE-brokered talks have brought little tangible result. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned against Armenia's policy of aggression, saying the country's land will be freed at any cost.
The UN General Assembly in mid-March passed a resolution on the situation in the occupied territories forwarded by Azerbaijani representatives. 39 countries voted for the document, while seven opposed the initiative.
Commenting on a possible recognition of Upper Garabagh's "independence" by Armenia, Kocharian said Yerevan could sign a relevant document with the self-proclaimed republic to fence off what he called pressure from Azerbaijan. He claimed that the issue of granting a status to Garabagh within Azerbaijan had not been discussed during peace talks in recent years.
Head of the Azerbaijani President's Office international relations department, Novruz Mammadov, termed Kocharian's statement as nonsense. "His visit to Garabagh aims to escape from pressure by some forces in Yerevan."
As for Armenia's recognizing Upper Garabagh's independence and inking a relevant document, Mammadov said both of these developments were impossible, calling Kocharian's utterances "cheap blackmail and an attempt to confuse the public".
During the visit to Upper Garabagh, Kocharian met with the separatist leader Bako Saakian. The two exchanged views on the conflict resolution and other issues.