Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 13 / Trend S. Agayeva /
The international community's position in resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be strengthened, Head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov said in an interview with Trend.
"I do not think that the international community's position, in particular the OSCE's position, which must deal with security in Europe, is strong and specific," he said. "This position must be strengthened."
Mammadov said that only Russia and its leadership were active in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 2010-2011. "Two other countries (the U.S. and France) were satisfied with their activity in resolving the conflict at the level of co-chairmen," he said. "I think this is wrong. We want all three countries to demonstrate a specific position to resolve this conflict.
He said that the position of the international community, particularly, the position of all international organizations, led by co-chairing countries, must fully support Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. "In this direction, it is necessary to move from the statements to support. It is necessary to take actions to ensure the territorial integrity and a specific solution to the conflict."
Mammadov said that seeing and watching all this, the Armenian leadership uses every means to preserve their power. Delaying the negotiation process is the most important way.
"The Armenian side has much hypocrisy and duplicity," he said. "It has been telling to co-chairmen and members of certain organizations for several months that it is ready to negotiate and take a constructive approach, but it delays the process and then in a few months can take a step which prevents the promotion of the negotiation process, by finding some excuse."
He said that first of all, these actions are very dangerous for the Armenian people.
"They must understand that they will go nowhere from here," he said. "As Levon Ter-Petrosyan wrote in his article "War and Peace" in 1997, the time will come, we will ask on our knees to give us the opportunity to do it. Then this opportunity will not be given to us.
Now we must think how to take the right step. Any excuse to maintain power (whether Kocharian or Sargsyan) does not meet the interests of the Armenian people. If the process is delayed, it can lead to tragedy for the Armenian people."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Novruz Mammadov'statement can be also followed on his personal Twitter page at www.twitter.com / NovruzMammadov