Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Tuesday that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are making an effort to move forward the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh from the deadlock, Trend news agency reported.

But he said the results of the mediators' recent visit to Yerevan "do not provide any grounds" for a positive assessment.

"Yerevan must abandon its current position, and the status quo must be changed," Mammadyarov told reporters while commenting on the mediators' recent visit to the region. He said the unresolved status of the long-standing conflict may lead to "developments unfolding in an unwanted direction".

The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since the brutal war in the early 1990s that displaced about a million Azerbaijanis from their homes, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a fragile ceasefire agreement in 1994. However, peace talks, brokered by the Minsk Group co-chairs the U.S., Russia and France, have been largely fruitless so far.

The co-chairs of the Minsk Group -- Robert Bradtke of the United States, Igor Popov of Russia and Jacques Faure of France -- traveled to the region November 19-26 to continue their efforts to assist the parties in finding a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to the OSCE website.

The co-chairs discussed the ideas on the continuation of the peace process that they had presented to the sides in their joint meeting on October 27. The sides agreed to carry out further work on the level of foreign ministers.

The mediators held meetings in Baku, Yerevan and with the separatist authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh in Khankandi, the center of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic. They also visited Zangilan and Jabrail regions of Azerbaijan to assess developments in these territories since their last visit in October 2010.

Mammadyarov said the proposals for the settlement of the conflict are known well to everyone and were announced and confirmed by the Minsk Group co-chairs.

"Azerbaijan adheres to the same position - withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories is required for the peace process to move forward from the deadlock," he said. "If the Armenian side says that it accepts the co-chairs' proposals, which were confirmed by the statement of the heads of state in L'Aquila, then it's time to sign a peace agreement. If it is so, Azerbaijan is ready to work on the text of an agreement. Withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories, followed by negotiations on all other items, is required."

The head of foreign relations at the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Novruz Mammadov, also said on Tuesday that the current situation with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable and the status quo must change. There are relevant decisions and resolutions of international and regional organizations, including the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and four statements of the presidents of the U.S., Russia and France to that end.

"Our position is that the Armenian side should not seek delays of the negotiations by periodically finding excuses," Mammadov said. "Our requirements for the co-chairs and desire are not to delay solution to this conflict. They have been conducting negotiations for many years in this regard, but these talks have not yielded any real results."

Mammadov pointed out that the occupied Azerbaijani territories must be liberated. If this happens, he said, the future of Armenia as a state and of the Armenian people can be guaranteed, but if the situation remains unchanged, this future "will be indefinite".

Regarding the co-chairs' new proposals, Mammadov underscored that there are Madrid principles, and certain documents have been adopted in this regard.

The Madrid Principles, also known as Basic Principles, are a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The document envisions a return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons to return home.

"Within these principles, it is necessary to achieve a constructive solution to the conflict, instead of looking for excuses. In this regard, the Armenian leadership must demonstrate its will," Mammadov said. He noted that the fate of this nation and country cannot be "held hostage".

"The Armenian leadership, by sacrificing the fate of the Armenian people and state, finds certain excuses and prolongs the negotiation process in an effort to stay in power longer. It is their tragedy," Mammadov added.