Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The statement made by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict reflects Azerbaijan's position, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said at a news briefing on June 19.

The presidents of France, Russia and the United States on June 18 issued a joint statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict expressing deep regret that the parties have not been able to find a solution of the problem in the course of negotiations.

According to Abdullayev, Baku's position is characterized by pragmatism. Azerbaijan has repeatedly stressed the need for a just solution to the conflict that respects the country's territorial integrity, he said.

Abdullayev noted that the restoration of justice means a return of the Armenia-occupied territories and a return of refugees to their homes.

"The presidents of the co-chairing countries rightly noted that the use of military force becomes the reason for the rise of instability and confrontation. In order to prevent this, the Azerbaijani lands must be returned and the Armenian armed forces must be withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Armenia has violated the principle of non-use of force, which resulted in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands," the Foreign Ministry official said.

Speaking about the failure to hold a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents, Abdullayev said that due to Armenia's failure to accept the proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the updated Madrid principles, it has became impossible to organize high-level meetings.

According to Abdullayev, for a peaceful future of the region Armenia should give up its expansionist policy.

"The current policy of Armenia puts the security of the region at risk. Azerbaijan has repeatedly demanded a solution based on the 'road map', which is reflected in the negotiations. Unfortunately, Armenia rejects the proposal made by Azerbaijan and the co-chairs and the main evidence of this is that Armenia has not accepted for a long time the updated Madrid principles proposed by the co-chairs," Abdullayev said.

Azerbaijan immediately considered the updated Madrid principles proposed by the co-chairs and accepted them, the Foreign Ministry official noted.

"Despite the activity of the co-chairs, the conflict has not yet been resolved. In order to resolve the conflict the co-chairs of the Minsk Group should exert more pressure over Armenia," he said.

The rights of the Azerbaijani people have been violated, as nearly a million people became refugees, and as long as Armenia fails to relinquish its aggressive policy, security of the region will be under threat, Abdullayev said.

Presidents of France, Russia and the United States Francois Hollande, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama said in the mentioned joint statement that as the leaders of the Minsk Group co-chair countries they "remain committed to helping the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict reach a lasting and peaceful settlement".

"We express our deep regret that, rather than trying to find a solution based upon mutual interests, the parties have continued to seek one-sided advantage in the negotiation process," the statement said.

The three presidents reiterated that only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace, stability and reconciliation, opening opportunities for regional development and cooperation, and the use of military force that has already caused the current situation of confrontation and instability will not resolve the conflict.

"A renewal of hostilities would be disastrous for the population of the region, resulting in loss of life, more destruction, additional refugees, and enormous financial costs. We strongly urge the leaders of all the sides to recommit to the Helsinki principles, particularly those relating to the non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples. We also appeal to them to refrain from any actions or rhetoric that could raise tension in the region and lead to escalation of the conflict. The leaders should prepare their people for peace, not war," the statement reads.

The presidents also expressed readiness to assist the sides, but said "the responsibility for putting an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains with them."

They also expressed strong belief that further delay in reaching a balanced agreement on the framework for a comprehensive peace is unacceptable, and urged the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to focus with renewed energy on the issues that remain unresolved.

Commenting on the issue, deputy chairman of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmadov told media that the presidents of the co-chairing countries have made statements voicing concern over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and as a whole this can be assessed positively. According to him, this can be considered as the fact that the large Minsk Group co-chairing countries have not forgotten about the settlement of the conflict.

But he emphasized that more importantly, the conflict has not been resolved yet though more than 20 years have passed.

"The situation with more than one million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs has not changed. They are still unable to return home. Therefore, the historical truth has not been restored."

The Minsk Group, which has undertaken such a responsible mission as the conflict settlement, cannot cope with the problem, he said.

"I cannot imagine that anyone could be blamed by the Minsk Group, which has taken on the conflict settlement mission and has not fulfilled the task for 20 years," he said. "It is simply impossible to understand this logic. Since the aggressor has not been named and the Minsk Group co-chairmen have not set forth specific requirements to liberate the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, it will be impossible to promote the conflict settlement. I believe that it would be better if the Minsk Group co-chairing countries expressed a particular attitude to this issue and it would be possible to achieve more significant action for the conflict settlement," Ahmadov said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against the neighboring country. Since a lengthy war between the two South Caucasus countries that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis and ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on a pullout from the occupied territories.

Peace talks brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have been largely fruitless so far.

The negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles, also known as Basic Principles. 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.