NKR: Unreasonable speedup may escalate tensions in Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Speedy settlement of Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict is also a priority for Karabakh," Head of NKR Foreign Ministry's Information Department Marsel Petrosian, said commenting upon MG Co-Chair Matthew Bryza's recent statement that speedy settlement is advantageous to Armenia as "otherwise, the country's economic development will be hampered, creating serious problems in democratic reform process." "But that doesn't mean we favor a settlement at any cost, with unpredictable consequences at that. For us, settlement implies establishment of long and enduring peace which can be achieved only in case of considering the actual state of things," Petrosian noted.



"However, Mr. Bryza links conflict settlement to economic development and democratic reforms. Linking these two issues into a single "package" is more like a bargaining and attempt to impose an agreement at all costs. Unfortunately, we recently observe the tendency of speeding up negotiation process based on a formula which ignores the essence and history of the conflict, as well as the present-day realities. In our view, Mr. Bryza`s statements are in line with that tendency. There is an impression that the current haste is related to the replacement of MG co-chairs, particularly Mr. Bryza. In NKR Foreign Ministry's statement dated July 15, 2009, we already spoke about the negative impact of unreasonable speedup which may only escalate tension, as the formula proposed by mediators is aimed at changing the balance of power underlying peace and stability in the region," NKR official stated.



Commenting upon MG Co-Chair's statement that negotiation process reflects NKR "population's" opinion and concerns, Petrosian said, "We'd welcome such fact, and in that connection, we'd like to note that NKR people have expressed their will at December 10, 1991 independence referendum and December 10, 2006 Constitutional referendum. "We'd be thankful to mediators if NKR people's will is fully reflected in negotiation process."