Azerbaijani FM comments on OSCE MG co-chair countries' joint statement

Azerbaijan is reviewing the proposals of all OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said on Thursday, commenting on the co-chair countries' joint statement issued in Vilnius.

"The position of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries to resolve the conflict is extremely important - all of three co-chair countries, but not one of them," he said.

On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vilnius, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Minister for European Affairs of France Jean Leonetti) and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian reaffirmed the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the organization's website reported.

Abdullayev said the conflict is possible to be resolved in this format.  As for the "Updated Madrid Principles", he said the principles are an official document presented to the conflict parties by these three co-chair countries. "We accept them as the latest official proposal made on behalf of three co-chair countries, but not one of them," Abdullayev said. He said the joint statement in Vilnius was also made by the co-chair countries.

At the 2011 Kazan meeting, Russia made proposals to resolve the conflict, which were not accepted by Azerbaijan. However, Armenia insisted on considering the proposals as a basis for further negotiation.

Armenia with its aggressive position after the presidents' Kazan meeting, had no reason to do it, since the proposals must be submitted by all three co-chairs, Abdullayev said. He said the last statement issued in Vilnius has in common with previous statements from the ministerial and heads of co-chair countries, which confirms the inadmissibility of the existing status quo.

The joint statement issued by OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict parties, calls for continuing the negotiating process to resolve the conflict within the MG.


/Trend/