AZERBAIJAN SACRIFIES THE PEACE PROCESS TO PRE-ELECTION CONJUNCTURE, KARABAKH'S FOREIGN MINISTRY CONSIDERS

PanARMENIAN.Net - 17.10.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN."The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Karabakh calls the attention of the international community and interested instances to the fact that the actions of official Baku have been repeatedly contradicting with the readiness, declared by it, to establish peace and stability in the region, the statement by the Foreign Ministry of Karabakh reads.

"We have to qualify the policy of Azerbaijan on hampering the social-economic development of the NKR as openly hostile. What "positive conditions for the conflict resolution" is Azerbaijan talking about, while it is the very one that, for a long period of time, has been frustrating the negotiation process, rejecting any peace initiatives and proposals concerning the economic cooperation, thus hampering confidence-building between the parties to the conflict?

Unfortunately, we have to state that criticism of the mediator-states and international organizations not furnished with proof has recently become a usual practice for the Azerbaijani leadership. For example, what object does the official Baku pursue by deliberate hampering the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and other mediators, which assist the sides in solving humanitarian problems of the Karabagh conflict, in particular, search for missing soldiers and liberating the prisoners of war?" the statement by the MFA says.

It is absolutely obvious that a regular "activation" of different level officials in the Azerbaijani Republic is conditioned by the pre-election conjuncture, and the peace process is sacrificed to it. This is the circumstance that undermines the confidence to Azerbaijan as to a partner in the negotiations, and does not promote the normalization of the situation in the region," the statement reads.--0--