Medvedev, Obama, Sarkozy seem to be tired of waiting for Karabakh conflict settlement May 26, 2011 - 19:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries - Barack Obama (U.S.), Nicolas Sarkozy (France) and Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) - adopted a traditional statement on the Karabakh conflict settlement at the G8 summit in the French resort of Deauville. In addition to making declarative appeals and statements, the three Presidents firmly called on the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders “to demonstrate political will and finalize...the basic principles (of a peace agreement) during the forthcoming summit in June.” The presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are slated to meet in June in the Russian city of Kazan, the next in a series of trilateral meetings on the frozen conflict. Otherwise, the Russian, U.S. and French Presidents are ready to doubt “the parties’ adherence to reach an agreement,” that is not so far from the truth, taking into consideration Azerbaijan’s unwillingness to solve the Karabakh conflict peacefully. Besides, without naming the certain addressee, Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy reacted to permanent provocations and continuous threats of Azerbaijan to launch a new war in Karabakh. The Presidents "firmly called on the leaders of the sides to prepare their people for peace, not war," which is so desirable for the Azerbaijani authorities, for which the Karabakh conflict resolution may lead to loss of power. It is difficult to predict which methods of coercion will be applied by the superpowers, if the parties to the Karabakh conflict do not listen to the appeals for a peaceful resolution, but it is evident that Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy are already tired of waiting for the conflict settlement. Marina Ananikyan / PanARMENIAN News Related links: The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now. G8 The Group of Eight (G8) is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of six major economies: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1976, Canada joined the group. In 1997, the group added Russia. In addition, the European Union is represented within the G8, but cannot host or chair. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). |