Top official: World saw that Karabakh conflict is not frozen
The April escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh showed both the international community and OSCE Minsk Group mediators that in the twinkling of an eye an unresolved conflict can turn into a hot point.
The April escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh showed both the international community and OSCE Minsk Group mediators that in the twinkling of an eye an unresolved conflict can turn into a hot point.
In fact, the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh has never been a frozen conflict – not least when it comes to the human suffering. Each single exchange of fire, each damage and each human life claimed by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been proving how costly and dangerous the conflict is.
Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, believes that the whole world saw that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not frozen, pointing to it as one of the reasons to resume peace talks.
“There are several reasons for revival in the process of settlement of the conflict,” he said. “Many people want to create a view that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is frozen. However, as a result of recent Armenian provocations, the whole world saw that the conflict is not frozen."
Armenian militaries have once again showed their unwillingness to peace with renewing escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh area. Dozens of Azerbaijani civilians living along the frontline suffered from the enemy’s aggressive activities that flared up on April 2.
The Azerbaijani side responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements. Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on April 5 with mediation of Russia.
Mammadov went on to say that the policy pursued by the Azerbaijani president in relations with different countries - the EU, US, Russia, Turkey, Iran, visits made to these countries, the results achieved during the negotiations have led to a common position - it's time to resolve the conflict, which has continued for almost 25 years.
"Therefore, today great attention is paid to the resolution of the conflict. After the April events, by the initiative of the U.S., a meeting was held in Vienna, while Russia and France at various meetings stressed the importance of launching negotiations on the settlement of the conflict and the entry into a new phase. Now, considering the positions of the OSCE Minsk group member states, and the co-chairs themselves, you can see that there is an intention to move forward," Novruz Mammadov said.
President Ilham Aliyev has met Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan twice in the past month and half first in Vienna in May, and the second time in St. Petersburg in June along with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Officials and observers have positively assessed the intensification of talks, along with the signs of more constructive spirit of the talks.
Mammadov further highlighted that currently, Germany is trying to take a step on this issue.
Given the possibilities of Germany as the OSCE chairing country, Berlin is interested in resolving the conflict and wants to help solve the problem, according to Mammadov.
"Recently, during the Azerbaijani president's visit to Germany, this question was widely discussed at the meeting with the German Chancellor and the delegations. The president expressed his position, explained and justified a fair solution to the conflict. I think that the result of this was the German foreign minister's visit to the region," Mammadov said.
The German chairmanship earlier asserted that Germany favors the intensification of the negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, it failed to make any move to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire agreement in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
The stories in this section are published by AZERNEWS under a project funded by the Foundation for State Assistance to the Development of the Media under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic.