Lennmarker Proposes Aland Islands Model for Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - OSCE Parliamentary Assembly special representative on Nagorno Karabakh Goran Lennmarker proposed to use the model of the Aland Islands for the conflict settlement, member of the Azeri delegation in the OSCE PA, chairman of the Milli Mejlis Standing Committee for Agriculture Eldar Ibrahimov stated. In his words, when observing the parliamentary elections in Ukraine he met there with OSCE PA President Alcee L. Hastings, Assembly Secretary General Spencer Oliver and his assistant Vitaly Yevseyev and requested to send rapporteur Lennmarker to Azerbaijan early April. "Last October Mr. Lennmarker paid a visit to Armenia to clarify the opinion of the government on the report. He did not come to Azerbaijan due to elections held in the republic that time. I am not aware of the details Lennmarker achieved agreement on with the Armenian party. But I believe he should visit Azerbaijan as well to meet with the members of the delegation to the OSCE PA, Foreign Minister, Milli Mejlis chairman and the President is a necessity emerges," the Azeri deputy said.



When asked about the reasons of the delay of Lennmarker's visit to Azerbaijan, Eldar Ibrahimov said, "Goran Lennmarker behaves like the OSCE Minsk Group that is protracting the Karabakh conflict settlement by all means. They all say "let both states demonstrate political will and achieve agreement and we will help them." We ask "why are you needed and what's you mission in this case?"



When speaking of the reports saying that Mr. Lennmarker offered to form a reconciliation committee between Armenia and Azerbaijan the parliamentarian noted that the issue has not been considered yet. "We do not need such a committee. Armenians and Azerbaijanis sit face to face in various international organizations and speak to each other. They present their positions on the issue," he said. When commenting on Lennmarker's position Ibrahimov said, "Goran Lennmarker is Swedish. Once a conflict broke out in the Swedish-inhabited Aland Islands belonging to Finland and as result the Islands were granted the status of high autonomy. This issue in mentioned in Lennmaker's report. He notes that for a long time already the Swedish population lives in peace maintaining their culture and native tongue. It means that Armenians can easily leave within Azerbaijan. I think this proposal was made in our favor. Representatives of all the nationalities will be rendered security guarantees in Azerbaijan," reported the 525th Azeri newspaper.