Hikmet Hajizade: "We should reject not the mediation of the Minsk Group but the current "peaceful" plan"

-Mr.Hikmet, how would you comment on the adoption of the resolution, which recognizes territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, by the UN General Assembly?

-I appreciate this UN resolution- the idea to appeal to the world community bypassing the Minsk Group is right. We should not bound Karabakh's fate to the sympathies of superstates. While superstates impose Realpolitik around-each for its own selfish ends- we have the only ally left-the global moral values and international law. We have a right to appeal for such support to the UN countries.

The resolution is important and may be of use to us, though the Minsk Group countries did not support it. The appeal for support to the UN is especially right following the events in Kosovo and international law in this sphere.

And whatever is said, we have a right to ask whether we will be treated the same way as well, for the sake of pumping our oil and other actions without fearing the threat of war.

-Do you consider it necessary for Azerbaijan to reject the OSCE Minsk Group mediation after the resolution of the General Assembly was not supported by Russia, the United States and France, co-chairing this group?

-Dissatisfaction with the activity of the Minsk Group is evident in our country and it can be understood. However, it should be taken into account that anyway the peaceful negotiations require influential mediators and if we reject the mediation and demand creation of another group (it should also be influential) we will see in the result that we will have none to select the mediators among. The new group (even if created under the United Nations) will again include representatives of the West and Russia. So, there is no alternative to the Minsk Group and it will be replaced with another "Minsk group".

-What does Azerbaijan expects from the OSCE Minsk Group?

-Azerbaijan expects that the OSCE Minsk Group would clarify its position, basing on the international law and UN charter, which (whatever separatists say) fix that the territorial integrity of countries is a priority against the right of ethnic minorities for separation. Azerbaijan also expects the Minsk Group to recognize occupation of our lands by Armenia.

However, the Minsk Group does not demonstrate such an unambiguous position and we have a right to protest and appeal to the world community for political and moral support.

-Why don't OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs agree with the said resolution and Azerbaijan's actions?

-Both Russia and US officials explain their position as follows: we have voted against the resolution, as today "a differing document which includes the right of Karabakh Armenians for referendum to define their status, is on the negotiation table".

This regulation is disastrous for Azerbaijan. I do not know how it was included into the discussed draft peaceful agreement and it is obviously a delayed-time bomb, no matter how obscure it is.

Today we can so far say that our "referendum" is not the same "referendum", spoken of by Armenians and that "it may occur only in 10 years", while this is a fatal mistake-this is a cruelty of such documents and such obscure regulations, fixed in contracts in "small print". The said regulation of the contract gains power round by round, encouraged by sponsors of peaceful negotiations and one day we might be caught in a deadlock asked "what are you discontented with if you have agreed to all this long before?"

Now it is necessary to stop this creeping annexation. I can't find any other word for the said stage of negotiations on Karabakh. We should reject not the mediation of the Minsk Group, but the current "peaceful" plan.

We should refuse to discuss this plan and express will to start everything anew.

The cause can be the recent behavior of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries in the UN and their loss of our distrust.

So, I would repeat that we should reject not the mediation of the Minsk Group but the "peaceful" plan, which we have a right to treat with suspicion.

/Day.Az/