Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6
Trend:
As the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group have not achieved even slight progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, US co-chairman James Warlick has no right and reason to advise and recommend other organizations anything regarding the settlement, Hikmet Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, told Trend Nov. 6.
Hajiyev was commenting on Warlick's statement on the PACE draft resolution.
"The essence of the OSCE Minsk Group's ongoing activity is insignificant," Hajiyev said. "In contrast, other international organizations, trying to contribute to the settlement of the conflict, have no need to consult with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen dealing with pointless activity."
"On the contrary, there is a need for the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, in particular James Warlick, to follow and consult with the intentions and principles of the UN Security Council's resolutions and the General Assembly to resolve the conflict, expressing the will of the international community," he said. "They should also follow the relevant resolutions of the PACE, the Non-Aligned Movement, OIC and other international organizations."
"Such ineffective activity of the OSCE Minsk Group is in the interests of Armenia, continuing the aggressive policy and striving to maintain the current status quo," Hajiyev said.
"It is not ruled out that Warlick is an integral element of the plan, serving the continuation of Armenia's aggressive policy," Hajiyev said.
While commenting the PACE draft resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, US co-chairman James Warlick tweeted that PACE and other international orgs should consult with the OSCE Co-chairs before issuing reports or resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh.
In a draft resolution approved Nov.4, the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called for the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
It also called for the establishment of full sovereignty of Azerbaijan in these territories as part of the OSCE Minsk process.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.