Vilnius statement signals new war in Karabakh unacceptable - expert

PanARMENIAN.Net - Through the joint statement of Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers, U.S. Secretary of State and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in Vilnius, the international community signaled the unacceptability for Azerbaijan to renew war in Nagorno Karabakh, according to CIS States Institute Yerevan subsidiary director.

As Alexander Markarov told a news conference in Yerevan, the parties agreeing that the peaceful settlement of conflict has no alternatives suggests Baku’s military rhetoric is meant for the local public only.

However, the political analyst expressed concern over the statement stipulating for unacceptability of the status quo. “No particular progress is to be expected in near future, yet steps might be taken to approximate the conflicting parties’ positions,” the expert remarked.

The expert was skeptical over the possibility for the increase of pressure on the conflicting sides as the attention of the international community is currently focused on election campaigns.

On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vilnius, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Minister for European Affairs of France Jean Leonetti) and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian reaffirmed the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The three Heads of Delegation reiterated that there can be no military solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and that the United Nations Charter, the Principles of the Helsinki Final Act, and the elements outlined in the joint statements of their Presidents at L’Aquila in July 2009 and Muskoka in June 2010 offer the way for all sides to move beyond the unacceptable status quo to reach a peaceful settlement.