AZERBAIJAN HAMPERS SENDING MISSION TO KARABAKH UNDER OSCE AEGIS

PanARMENIAN.Net - As it has been supposed, Azerbaijan intends to hamper sending a special international mission to Karabakh to study the real state of affairs at the scene in connection with the official accusations against Stepanakert by Baku. As it is known, aiming at discrediting NKR, Azerbaijan brings fake charges of using the Karabakh territory for training terrorists, burying nuclear waste and for drug traffic. In that connection President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghukasian has addressed letters to OSCE acting Chairman Mirche Joane and Minsk Group Co-Chairmen suggesting to form a mission, which will be charged to study the conditions in all the spheres in Karabakh that are of interest to OSCE. The head of the Karabakh state expressed hope in the letters that "in spite of the resistance of the Azerbaijani party, which usually hampers sending international missions to Nagorno Karabakh, the proposal will receive a positive feedback and will be realized at the earliest possible date." Responding to Ghukasian's initiative the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan came out with a statement, which stressed sending any missions to Karabakh was out of the question "without corresponding consultations with Azerbaijani official authorities." Commenting the Azeri Foreign Ministry's response, head of NKR foreign department Naira Melkumian stated the official Baku had rejected Ghukasian's initiative "fearing of revealing the truth." In her words, "if Azerbaijan had really been interested in normalizing the situation in Nagorno Karabakh, it would not treat the OSCE mission proposal this way."