Armenia riled by US mediator`s statement
A statement by the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering a
settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has drawn fire
from Armenia.
Yerevan was particularly displeased by the support voiced by Matthew Bryza for Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. Armenian Foreign Minister Matthew Bryza claimed the diplomat`s citing this as one of the key principles of the peace process was incomprehensible.
Bryza, who had apparently become worried by the Armenian minister`s terse response, quickly played down his own statement.
"I said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev adheres to one position, while Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian - to a different one. Besides, I said the principles of territorial integrity, the right to self-determination and the pullout of troops should be brought into the agenda for the sides to reach agreement. In saying that, I did not inflate any given principle as more important," Bryza said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally recognized territory since the early 1990s. Years of peace talks have brought few tangible results. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned against Armenia`s policy of aggression, saying the country`s land will be freed at any cost.
Yerevan was particularly displeased by the support voiced by Matthew Bryza for Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. Armenian Foreign Minister Matthew Bryza claimed the diplomat`s citing this as one of the key principles of the peace process was incomprehensible.
Bryza, who had apparently become worried by the Armenian minister`s terse response, quickly played down his own statement.
"I said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev adheres to one position, while Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian - to a different one. Besides, I said the principles of territorial integrity, the right to self-determination and the pullout of troops should be brought into the agenda for the sides to reach agreement. In saying that, I did not inflate any given principle as more important," Bryza said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally recognized territory since the early 1990s. Years of peace talks have brought few tangible results. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned against Armenia`s policy of aggression, saying the country`s land will be freed at any cost.
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