Azerbaijan’s constructive policy key for Karabakh settlement: official

PanARMENIAN.Net - Constructive policies by Azerbaijan would be the only possible way to push for a progress in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement talks, a lawmaker from Armenia’s ruling Republican Party said, according to Tert.am.

“We will otherwise face more problems on the border that would further destabilize the region,” the head of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan noted.

Asked whether other documents besides the Madrid Principles are on the negotiation agenda, Zakaryan said “not that he knows of.”

Despite recent reports, suggesting that the OSCE Minsk Group has exhausted its potential, having been unable to prevent the adoption of a controversial report on Karabakh by the PACE Political Affairs Committee, Zakaryan ruled out the possibility of revising and reshaping the mission’s format. The Minsk Group mission is the only competent platform capable of negotiating for peace, he said.

Describing Robert Walter’s report, “Escalation of Violence in Nagorno Karabakh and Other Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan,” as a serious threat to the conflict settlement process, Zakaryan advised against encouraging Azerbaijan’s narratives.

In response to a question on Germany’s possible Co-chairmanship in the Minsk Group and the country’s pro-Turkish and pro-Azerbaijani policy, Zakaryan noted: “I don’t think new involvements can bridge any gap. I am sure Germany will demonstrate a strongly balanced position.”