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Azerbaijan awaits a more rational approach from Armenia

7 November 2013 18:22 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan awaits a more rational approach from Armenia

By Sara Rajabova

Elnur Aslanov, head of the political analysis and information provision department at the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said Azerbaijan demonstrates a constructive position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and remains interested in the continuation of negotiations and the establishment of peace and security in the region.

His comment followed a statement by Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, who said that Azerbaijan is demonstrating a non-constructive position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and harming the peace process.

Unfortunately, according to Aslanov, state officials have repeatedly expressed Armenia's non-constructive position and in general, have started playing the role of "malignant growth" through its policy in the region.

Aslanov said that despite Armenia being in a very difficult economic and political position, it manages to surprise the East and the West, as well as other countries by its inconsistent policy.

"Of course, we are waiting for Armenia's more constructive actions, a constructive position, a more rational approach," Aslanov added.

He said that once Armenia realizes its unfortunate position, it will make an effort to take a more constructive position in the region.

Aslanov said that commander of the 102nd military base of the Southern Military District of the Russia Armed Forces Andrey Ruzinski's statement has various contradictions.
"On the one hand, he speaks about the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Of course, he once again emphasizes that this territory belongs to Azerbaijan. On the other hand, he makes another statement which is full of contradictions," Aslanov said.
Earlier, Andrey Ruzinski said that if hostilities begin in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian military base may join an armed conflict in accordance with the obligations of Russia within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

According to Aslanov, if Azerbaijan fails to restore jurisdiction of its territory, it may resort to various options.

Aslanov said at present, as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stressed, Azerbaijan is strong and independent as ever, adding Azerbaijan has a powerful army and an independent policy.

"Azerbaijan's lands are under Armenia's occupation. Azerbaijan did not occupy and did not intrude on another country's territory. On the contrary, the occupation forces entered the territory of Azerbaijan and more than one million citizens of Azerbaijan have become refugees and internally displaced peoples (IDPs). If we fail to achieve desirable results through the peace negotiations, then, of course, we can resort to various options. From this point of view, no one, including an individual acting on the basis of his own reasons, contrary to the country's official position, can hamper us," Aslanov said.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict emerging from Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories.

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