Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 21 / Trend E.Huseynli /
Baku sees Armenia's non-constructive position as the reason why the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was not resolved in 2010.
"The talks held in 2010, as in previous years, showed that Armenia's non-constructive position and Yerevan's non-willingness to solve the problem are the reasons for the non-resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Social and Political Department head Ali Hasanov said in an interview with Trend. By sending the president to resignation and having shootings in parliament, Armenia wants to keep the status quo in the talks, he added.
Hasanov said prior to the OSCE Astana summit, it was obvious that Armenia would not move toward a more non-constructive position. Thus, for Azerbaijan, the summit was a tool for bringing its position to the international community's attention and to show Yerevan's true face.
"Armenia must either continue its aggressive policy and violate international norms, and thus bring itself to the edge, or to create normal relations with Azerbaijan and other countries and reject its territorial claims," he said. "In 2009, the failure of the Zurich agreement, which was reached between Armenia and Turkey with the support of several countries, affirmed to everyone that Azerbaijan is a strong state pursuing an independent policy, and that the country has a decisive influence in regional processes and it is impossible to realize any international initiative or interstate project in the region without considering Azerbaijan's interests."
Hasanov stressed that Armenia will not be allowed to enter regional cooperation or economic integration projects until the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolved.
"The reality is that, today, Azerbaijan is a strong and dynamically developing country, which relies on its resources," he said. "Armenia has been left out of transnational communications initiatives and lives on the handouts of other countries and humanitarian assistance. Today, Azerbaijan's military budget is $3.1 billion, while Armenia's state budget is $2.36 billion. In my opinion, this comparison clearly shows everything"
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.