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Baku.16 January. REPORT.AZ/ Azerbaijan is ready to any fair and logical offer for liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh from occupation. It also means that Azerbaijan will not refuse from territories remaining under Armenian occupation.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on January 15 talked about Nagorno-Karabakh issue in the press conference dedicated to the results of 2017. Russian minister did not say anything extraordinary about Azerbaijani territories remaining under occupation. Moreover, Russia is member of OSCE Minsk Group and one of the international mediators in the solution of conflict. In this regard, S.Lavrov had to speak about Nagorno-Karabakh issue in the report of his country’s foreign policy course. The head of Russian MFA did that. Actually, in S.Lavrov’s opinion, it is important now to take additional steps to ensure the peace on the line of contact: “This problem cannot be solved once and for all with a single document. This would help move towards a political settlement. We need a step-by-step approach to this issue and show the work which is possible to do and define the ways that require additional discussion on the final settlement of the conflict and the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.
He said they believe that positive impulses will follow this year from Azerbaijan and Armenia on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabalh conflict: “We are satisfied with meetings held between presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, ministers of foreign affairs. Representatives of co-chair countries participated in this meeting. This problem cannot be solved once and for all with a single document. Therefore, it is up to the parties to solve the issue.”
According to Russian foreign minister only Azerbaijan and Armenia may settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The spokesperson of Azerbaijani foreign ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said he hails the Sergei Lavrov’s statement on the step-by-step approach on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Such attitude of Azerbaijan MFA is approval of our aforementioned position on this issue. If the resolution of conflict was up to Azerbaijan and Armenia, then what the international mediators in the face of USA, France and Russia have been doing over the past 25 years?
S.Lavrov said he is satisfied with meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Which satisfaction is that? After the last meeting of presidents in Geneva Serzh Sargsyan said:
“The only solution acceptable for us is that Karabakh be outside Azerbaijan. I wish to assure you that we do not see any such solution as may undermine Karabakh’s security in a way or another. Never can any Armenian leader accept and implement other solution whatsoever, and for that reason, we will do our utmost to develop Armenia by strengthening our country’s economy,” he said. That totally contradicts to the statement of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
At that time, none of co-chair states including Russia did not react to what Sargsyan said. Even in the press conference devoted to the outcome of 2016 to the question “If Azerbaijan starts to clear Nagorno-Karabakh from occupation forces and other criminal elements, will Russia intervene internal affairs of Azerbaijan?”, he told: “This is not an abstract issue or solely topic for internal affairs of Azerbaijan.”
In this regard, there was no changeover the past year either on the position of Russia, or other co-chairs, also on Lavrov’s position regarding the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
What Russian foreign ministers sais is not something new. The former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian also become the victim of phased solution to the problem. As he agreed for that he was sent into retirement. Several years ago he answered the question about when sides were closer to peaceful agreement:
“In my opinion settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the most realistic in 1997, when the problem could be resolved by yielding some territories to Azerbaijan, concluding a truce, and creating an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh to determine its final status later. But this did not happen, because the people of Karabakh demonstrated a maximalist approach and decided that this was too little, one could press more and get more... And not only people in Karabakh. Also in Yerevan, in my surroundings there were people who thought like that. I said then: if you think there is a better solution, please, go ahead, I can’t have this solution stymied, you try it, maybe you’ll be successful,” he said.
But in over the past years Armenians and their associates did not demonstrate constructive position, on the contrary hindered this process. That’s why the mediators such as S.Lavrov and associates repeat old things called "step-by-step-solution” again and again.
In general, it can be concluded from Lavrov’s positions that it would be too much to expect serious result in the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the current year.
The statement made by Russian foreign minister last day reminds us a proverb: “You will neither dance nor hold the candle”.
In other words, the mediators do not make enough pressure on Armenia to liberate occupied territories. Under this circumstances, what will Azerbaijan and Armenia discuss directly? Because official Yerevan is demanded to end the occupation. Will Armenia agree for that? Of course, it depends on secret approval of its associates and international mediators. The experience of last year shows that they are less likely to agree. In this case one solution remains: Azerbaijan should liberate its territories at the expense of its internal capabilities.
In fact, which conflict has been settled over the past 25 years with participation of international mediators? None. Because those mediators use conflicts as a pressure tool to make on each other. It is necessary to mention that Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov will meet with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Andrew Chaufer (USA), Stephane Visconti (France), Igor Popov (Russia) and Armenian foreign minister Edvard Nalbandyan in Krakow, Poland in January 18.
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk will also attend the meetings. This year Andrzej Kasprzyk was appointed for this position for the 22nd time.
