Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The persistent unconstructive position of Armenia in the talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, disrespect for international law, failure to comply with the decisions and resolutions of international organizations, simultaneous provocative steps fueling tension in the region, and illegal activities in the occupied Azerbaijani territories hinder reaching a positive result in the negotiations, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said.

In his remarks to the local press, Mammadyarov said although the negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group have not yielded specific results, an unequivocal opinion has shaped up in the international community that the solution to the conflict should begin with a withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their native land. Further, by means of joint confidence-building activities and cooperation between the parties to the conflict, the severe consequences of the occupation should be eliminated, the minister said.

"Azerbaijan, along with the negotiations conducted within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, has achieved the adoption of documents on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by authoritative international organizations, led by NATO, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement. Armenia should draw a conclusion from the principled position of international organizations, which unites an absolute majority of the international community, reconsider its position and act in accordance with the position of the world community," Mammadyarov said.

According to him, review of the current state of negotiations, being held with the mediation of the Minsk Group, shows that a more focused and fair approach is needed.

"Numerous decisions and resolutions passed in past years, including the documents of the last Cairo summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the OIC, have already defined the frames of the conflict settlement, the legal basis and its key elements. These documents, which are relied upon by the international community, are grounds for more purposeful activity of the OSCE Minsk Group. Only as a result of these actions can the environment of cooperation and coexistence be formed. Unfortunately, the fact that Yerevan impedes a meeting of representatives of the two communities has a negative impact on the creation of trust between the communities and the overall resolution of the conflict," Mammadyarov said.

The minister pointed out that Azerbaijan's position is clear.

"We support a peaceful solution to the conflict and are interested in the development of the entire region. Azerbaijan is ready to direct its high economic potential to the development of the whole region. Withdrawal of the invading country's troops from the occupied territories could create the conditions for Armenia, due to which it can take advantage of the great economic potential of Azerbaijan, and at the same time, conditions for the creation of a real program for the development of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, including the attraction of real investment. We recognize the Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region as our citizens and want them to live in good conditions. However, the presence of the Armenian armed forces in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is the main obstacle for this. Armenia should realize that its rescue depends on the soonest resolution of the conflict and the normalization of relations with neighboring countries, particularly Azerbaijan," Mammadyarov said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian pullout have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.