Certain document exists on negotiating table over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: FM
Acertain document exists at the negotiating table over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the work is being carried out on it.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has revealed about it during a press-conference with his German counterpart, OSCE Chairman Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Baku on June 30.
Recalling Russia’s Foreign Minis- ter Sergey Lavrov's forthcoming visit to Baku next week, the Azerbaijani minister noted that the issue on holding the next presidential meet- ing on Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will depend on Lavrov’s visit.
Last time Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan sat at a table of talks arranged by Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 20. It became their second meeting following the heavy clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh in early April. The presidents agreed to bolster the number of monitors in Nagorno-Karabakh with a view to shore up a fragile ceasefire.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is visiting Baku, following Yerevan, to mull the bilateral relations and discuss the developments around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution. Mammadyarov, informing the reporters about his meeting with the German FM, said that they mulled the conflict resolution and Steinmeier informed him about Armenia's position on the issue.
“We believe that it's time to start serious work on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This problem must be solved. Azerbaijan demands withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from its occupied territories. Time has come to change current status-quo. The status-quo is fragile,” Mammadyarov added.
Azerbaijan praises the efforts of the OSCE and the positive role that the organization plays in ensuring stability in the South Caucasus, said Mammadyarov.
Steinmeier, for his part, agreed that maintaining the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable.
“OSCE will take all the measures and will use all the instruments to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said, emphasizing that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sides and mediators should achieve a certain result that would prevent the escalation of the situation.
“We need concrete proposals for that. The status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can’t be maintained further,” he said.
The OSCE chair further added that the talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will continue, mentioning that currently, a negotiation cycle is underway.
“I am glad for the meetings of the two countries’ presidents. We need to hold stage-by-stage talks in order to step up the ceasefire,” he added.
He pointed out that two meetings were organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in a short time. “Naturally, it is impossible to achieve results after two meetings,” he said and expressed hope that such meetings will continue.
Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, while the OSCE MG deals with the conflict resolution.
Azerbaijan, new strong player in South Caucasus
Steinmeier, speaking about the German-Azerbaijani ties, stressed that Azerbaijan is a new strong player in the South Caucasus.
“We have succeeded to move forward in a number of issues which were raised previously,” said the German minister. “I am glad that Azerbaijan managed to achieve progress in this sphere.”
The Azerbaijani side in turn reminded that Azerbaijan is Germany’s main trade partner in the South Caucasus.
Mammadyarov pointed out that the relations between Azerbaijan and Germany are developing rapidly.
“A large number of German companies operate in Azerbaijan,” said Mammadyarov. “We are confident that the energy and economic projects proposed by Azerbaijan to Germany will be of interest for this country.”
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany stood at 415.33 million manats in January-May 2016 and Germany accounted for 6.51 percent of Azerbaijan’s total trade turnover, according to Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee. In these terms, the country ranks fourth among Azerbaijan’s foreign trade partners.
Meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian communities possible
The OSCE chairman-in-office during his Baku visit met with the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and IDPs from Shusha.
Members of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh have put forward an initiative to hold regular meetings with the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh on the conflict resolution.
Member of the Azerbaijani community, MP Rovshan Rzayev has voiced importance of holding such meetings to resolve the conflict, saying that Azerbaijanis agree to live together with the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Steinmeier supported the initiative of the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that he will hold talks about this with the other side, Member of the community, people's artist Farhad Badalbeyli told Trend.
"We made a proposal and Steinmeier has accepted it. Our goal is clear. But we know that the Armenians do not agree with this. We are ready to meet in any country - Germany, Brussels and Strasbourg, we are ready to meet, no matter what country it is, to talk about how in the future we will live in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said, further naming Robert Kocharian’s statement saying that "Azerbaijanis cannot live together with the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh" as “kind of fascist ideology”.
“Steinmeier assured that Germany would do everything possible for the soonest settlement of the conflict. But, the sides also must work to resolve the conflict and achieve peace,” said Badalbeyli.