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Azerbaijan Considers Various Variants of Expanding Format of OSCE Minsk Group: Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia

Politics Materials 5 April 2008 12:22 (UTC +04:00)

Russia, Moscow, 5 April /corr. Trend R.Agayev / Azerbaijan considers various variants of expanding the authorities of the OSCE Minsk Group and more active participation of the Minsk Group member-countries, who are not co-chairmen (Italy, Finland, Turkey, Belarus), in the process. Azerbaijan and Armenia are members of the Minsk Group as well. Therefore, the talks here should take place in a wider format and with more collectively made decisions, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, said to a press-conference in Moscow.

The Ambassador said that nobody denies that over the recent period, the Minsk Group co-chairmen have been carrying out large works, they make maximum efforts, but the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not simple problem and it is difficult to resolve it at full speed or with some recommendations because it affects the interests of two peoples, two countries. Bulbuloglu said that exactly due to it, such misunderstandings as voting of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman countries (the USA, France and Russia) against the Resolution submitted by Azerbaijan to the UN General Assembly take place.

According to him, Azerbaijan considers adoption of the Resolution its diplomatic victory because Azerbaijan's position was supported by 40 countries. "This Resolution is not directed against other countries. It supports the activity of the Minsk Group and describes Azerbaijan's position. Let somebody do not like the Resolution, somebody vote against it, but it was very important to gain such a Resolution. The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be settled only within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity being supported by the Resolution of the UN General Assembly," Bulbuloglu said.

Speaking of the adoption of the Resolution by the UN General Assembly and the position of the world countries during the voting, the Ambassador said that during the voting, Azerbaijan was supported not only by the GUAM member-countries, but also the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) participating countries, as well as other countries. Bulbuloglu noted that adopting the Resolution was very important for Azerbaijan. He is surprised that big countries and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman countries sharply protested against the document.

In addition, the Ambassador stated that there is no necessity to speak about it at a personal level in Russia because the country clearly highlighted its position in relevant documents. "Russia has made official statements supporting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity within the Minsk Group and at the bilateral level. Therefore, nobody should have doubts about Russia's position. Russia protested against the Resolution, saying that the Resolution is irrelevant and may break off the negotiations process," the diplomat added.

The Ambassador said that Russia, the USA and France, as mediators, had to abstain voting. "It was unpleasant for Azerbaijan and Azeri people to hear that the co-chairman countries of the Minsk Group, which urges to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, voted against the Resolution. The mediators should be neutral. Voting against the Resolution, they complicated their future activity," Bulbuloglu said.

The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

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