Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 20 / Trend T.Hajiyev /
The winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will mull over the outcome of the Astana summit, Azerbaijani Vice Parliamentary Speaker and Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA, Bahar Muradova said.
"The OSCE held the summit in Astana, which did not give due attention to the Karabakh problem, as the Final Declaration did not reflect any position on this matter," Muradova said.
" Although the summit expressed its attitude on this issue in the form of a statement, the Final Document lacks pointing out what is important to us. In this regard, the issue will certainly appear on the agenda of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly."
After an eleven year hiatus, the OSCE held its summit in Astana on Dec.1-2 under the Kazakh chairmanship. The summit brought together heads of states and governments of all member countries.
The OSCE Astana summit adopted a joint statement by the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the heads of delegations of the OSCE Minsk Group which co-chair countries in the Nagorno-Karabakh resolution. The statement calls for a rapid resolution of the conflict.
"The fact that the event, held after an 11-years hiatus, of an organization like the OSCE did not express its position in relation to this matter, as well as the lack of consensus on the discussed issues, and the leave of many countries during the summit, indicate that the OSCE as an organization is not serious about its work and its authority. This, in turn, negatively affects its image. This issue will certainly be marked at the OSCE PA," she said.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has not discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and consequently no decision was forthcoming.
"The Final Declaration lacks expressing an attitude over this issue, but we regard this issue as the subject of a separate discussion. It's apparent, however, that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, seeing its failures in this regard, does not want to separately discuss the Karabakh problem," Muradova said.
She also mentioned the OSCE does not want to stick to a definitive position on the issue of resolving the conflict.
"Some say that the OSCE lacks opportunities and it has already become obsolete. I would not say so. Because the OSCE brings together 56 countries, and the most advanced countries in the world are party to it. The United States also has a significant role in the OSCE's activity. Given this situation, this organization has enough opportunities to express a position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," she said.
According to Muradova, the OSCE was able to express a definitive position in August 2008 when a conflict flared up between Russia and Georgia.
"During the war in August, the OSCE sent a mission to the area for a certain period. The mission issued a serious report, discussions followed and it adopted a document. In this light, the OSCE was then able to adopt a position. If there is a desire, the OSCE countries can take advantage of the power of this organization. Apparently, they do not want to yet," she said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces 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 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.