Top official lays out Azerbaijan`s stance on Karabakh at OSCE
Azerbaijan`s Deputy Foreign Minister, Araz Azimov, has reiterated his country`s stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as he addressed the OSCE`s Permanent Council at the Hofburg in Vienna.
He expressed the Azerbaijani government`s concern over the fact that "the OSCE now pays less attention to the dispute against a background of the statements by the United Nations, the Council of Europe, NATO, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Non-Aligned Movement demanding the settlement of the conflict based on the principles of Azerbaijan`s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders".
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two countries fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory.
The Deputy FM called on the OSCE member states not to be satisfied with general statements supporting the work of the mediating Minsk Group.
The Minsk Group, established in 1992, has been working to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but numerous rounds of negotiations brokered by the French, Russian and US mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
Azimov proposed breathing a fresh air into the group`s activities by encouraging "for example countries like Italy, Germany, Turkey and Switzerland to contribute to the Minsk Group".
The official stressed the importance of securing a stage-by-stage settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"The Armenian armed forces must withdraw from Azerbaijan`s occupied lands, necessary conditions must be created to ensure the return of the Azerbaijani IDPs to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions. Communications must be open for all parties in the region."
Azimov noted: "Only ensuring these conditions can pave the way for an objective and normal atmosphere for defining a status for the Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity where the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities will co-exist and maintain cooperation."
The Azeri deputy FM blamed Armenia`s "non-constructive position" for the delay in achieving progress in the negotiations on basic principles, which were set out in 2004.
Azimov urged the conflicting sides and mediators to direct their efforts towards preparing a road map "that will be of practical use for the settlement of the dispute".
He also stressed the importance of strengthening efforts towards confidence building between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Azimov reiterated that Azerbaijan was committed to peaceful settlement of the conflict.