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Matthew Bryza names most operative concept in Karabakh conflict’s settlement (VIDEO)

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 13 February 2015 14:00 (UTC +04:00)
The principle of territorial integrity is the most operative concept when it comes to the resolution of such conflicts as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Matthew Bryza, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, director of International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia.
Matthew Bryza names most operative concept in Karabakh conflict’s settlement (VIDEO)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

The principle of territorial integrity is the most operative concept when it comes to the resolution of such conflicts as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Matthew Bryza, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, director of International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia.

Bryza, who is also the former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, said in an interview with Trend during "This week in focus" program that in this conflict Armenia mistakenly often calculates that time is on their side.

"I believe that time is on no one's side," he said.

"Every day that passes is one more day Armenia's economy is slipping behind Azerbaijan. For Azerbaijan, every day that passes is another day without restoring its territorial integrity," Bryza further noted.

Bryza believes that very often the longer conflict remains unresolved the more difficult it is to resolve it in the end, adding that this is particularly true with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Touching upon Russia's role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Bryza said, "Russia is not in a mood now to resolve regional conflicts, because of the Ukrainian crisis."

He also recalled that there is a Russian military base in Armenia, adding, "Russians control Armenian border."

"Russian investors control the entire major infrastructure in the country whether it is energy, transportation," he further said.

Commenting on why the four UN Security Council resolutions are not implemented, Bryza said the vast majority of the UN Security Council resolutions are never in force.

"They need to be in force, they never are, because the UN does not have mechanism for putting them in force," he said.

Bryza noted that the mediators in the Karabakh conflict are not always sufficiently creative, adding that one must think strategically, creatively.

"No one should be a mediator unless they are equipped and ready to do intellectual work, and they have patience to come up with common ground," Bryza stressed.

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 four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

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Aygun Badalova is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AygunBadalova

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