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INTERVIEW- Self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be contrary to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity

Azerbaijan Materials 4 October 2011 12:14 (UTC +04:00)
Self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be contrary to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
INTERVIEW- Self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be contrary to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity

Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 4 /Trend, A. Gasimova, S. Agayeva/

Self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be contrary to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

"Upon the UN Charter, only colonial people, but nobody else has the right to self-determination," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told Trend. "After expelling the Azerbaijani population of Karabakh, to start telling that now Armenians will define themselves? Where is the logic? And to talk about democracy in Nagorno-Karabakh is an absurdity."

"Expelling all Azerbaijanis from Karabakh and saying that we are a democratic state, and now we are going to define ourselves and let the world accept us as we are... I can not find a logical explanation of Armenia's this position," Mammadyarov said. He was commenting on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's statement at the UN General Assembly, who said that two decades ago, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, exercising their right to self-determination, and surviving in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, gained their right to free life at the expense of blood.

Mammadyarov said during his diplomatic activities, he has not seen a more non-constructive position. It is logically very difficult to find an explanation for this statement. "The phrase like "Armenia gained independence of Nagorno-Karabakh at the expense of the blood of its sons" defies logic" the minister said.

The Azerbaijani foreign minister described the Armenian president's statement at the UN General Assembly as an aggressive and outspoken call for war. Speaking on the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan's foreign minister said the Azerbaijani side understands that a great work has been done together with the OSCE Minsk Group to draw the contours on which the region will come to peace, stability, and most importantly, predictability.

"Azerbaijan's position is known. Agreeing upon principles has been impossible so far, and we offered to begin work over a large peace agreement, with understanding and consideration of all non-agreed details existing in today's talks.

According to Mammadyarov, Baku always proceeds from the fact that the Karabakh conflict is very complicated and delicate, and at the same time very emotional. The task of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs is not so easy, but when three permanent members of the UN Security Council - the U.S., Russia, France, act as a mediator, we can not expect the best format, he said.

"Another topic is the ways of approaching to the solution. There is an approach - pacifying, which leads parties to the point when they agree with the proposals made to them. The second option is to enforce peace, that is, to eliminate consequences of the armed conflict, further to achieve a political decision on the final settlement. But, as you see, both approaches are phased, of course, by understanding of what we will reach in the end.

He said it is necessary to take into account that a lot of interests collide in a small area like the South Caucasus. "Every time, there appear new elements like the factor of gas contracts, which, on the one hand, help solution, on the other hand, may create obstacles. If to soberly approach this question, the best format is the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs with the three permanent members of the UN, which I would say, must bring peace and stability in the region," Mammadyarov said.
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 seven 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.

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