UNITED NATIONS (Combined Sources)—Azerbaijan Thursday withdrew a draft resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh from the United Nations General Assembly agenda as the international body kicked off its 65th session, reported Panorama.am.
The draft resolution sought to uphold Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and called for the return of so-called Azeri refugees to the liberated territories surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
Azeri officials cited an announcement, made public Friday, by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen who announced an international fact-finding mission to the liberated territories surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The Russian, US and French co-chairmen also reiterated that the Minsk Group was “the sole framework for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
Addressing the General Assembly, Azerbaijan’s permanent representative to the UN, Agshin Mehdiyev, asked the issue to be rescheduled for the assembly’s next year-long session which begins in mid-September. Mehdiyev told RFE/RL that the reason for the postponement is a “field assessment mission” to the occupied Azerbaijani lands planned by the Minsk Group co-chairs. He said that he hopes the mission outcome will support Azerbaijan’s position on the Karabakh conflict.
“As far as I know the Armenian side continues to bring people from abroad and to settle them in the occupied territories to change the demographic situation, to destroy the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in the occupied territories,” Mehdiyev claimed to RFE/RL.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry insisted on Friday that the fact-finding visit is “in no way connected” to the Azerbaijani resolution, reported RFE/RL. It pointed to the mediators’ September 6 statement which said the mission had been agreed with all conflicting parties, in principle, weeks before the draft resolution was submitted to the General Assembly.
In a written statement, the ministry claimed that Baku withdrew it under pressure from the three mediating powers. “We are thankful to all those UN member states and in particular to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, which through their stance prevented Azerbaijan from deviating and damaging the negotiation process of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,” read the statement.
By introducing this resolution, Azerbaijan aimed to divert the peace process from its current OSCE Minsk Group to the UN, a move that has been opposed by international powers engaged in the process. After a cool reception from the international community, Azerbaijan aimed to promote its efforts within Muslim countries, aiming to secure support across religious lines.
Earlier this month, President Serzh Sarkisian warned that the adoption of such a resolution would be a “serious error” on Azerbaijan’s part. Armenia’s foreign ministry also warned that the resolution would “seriously damage” the peace process.
In 2008, Azerbaijan made a similar move at the UN General Assembly. The move, once again, was opposed by the co-chairing countries and was supported by Azerbaijan’s mainly Muslim allies.
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It is evident that the Azeris have people in the UN and they want to rush their own agendas, but it won’t work. Artsakh fought back to the Azeris and won the war about 20 years ago. Armenians were the winning parties and the winner wins the land. Plus our centuries old Churches and Monasteries are proof that all of Artsakh was Armenian land for thousands of years.
A great fail.
Is that btw very suprising ?
It comes from Azerbaijan after all….
No, not at all, it’s not surprising for me Abbe. As a matter of fact I know perfectly well that the Azeris have some very personal friends in the UN and that’s why they are pushing their agendas through the UN. Of course it comes from Azerbaijan, where else? I am well aware of that.
This is only a minor victory. Azerbaijan still has prior UN resolutions.
“If Azerbaijan really thinks that this has come to a total end, then they should stop the negotiations and cancel everything. But they are not doing that,” Kambeck told RFE/RL.
The same could be said of Armenia. If Azerbaijan will not let Karabagh take part in the negotiations, and if Azerbaijan states over and over again, as it has, that it will never allow Karabagh to be taken away from Azeri sovereignty, then what is Armenia doing by still negotiating?
Also, why is Armenia negotiating on Karabagh’s behalf anyway? Karabagh is not part of Armenia, and Armenia does not even recognize Karabagh. To Armenia, it appears that Karabagh has no legal standing.
So do not be fooled. Let us look to our own problems and not crow just because Azerbaijan withdrew its resolution.
Tomas, I totally agree! Armenia won the war. After reading the history of the Artsakh war for freedom, I still do not understand why, during all these years of negotiations, Armenia and Azer. come to the negotiations as equals? The war did not end in a stalemate: Artsakh stopped invading more of Azer. because it was to it’s advantage to stop, but they could have continued. Why is Azer. being allowed to make demands then and not being told to “take what you can get”. The attempt at strangling Armenia with blockade hasn’t worked…Armenia SHOULD be more stuborn at negotiations and act a little more like Israel here.
Tomas, I don’t understand why Armenia still does not recognize Karapakh’s sovereignty. You’d think by now they should have done it. Armenia should not go along with the negotiations when Karapakh is not accepted in the talks. They should put their foot down. For heavan’s sake, we won the war. They act like the enemy won the war. It boils down to the Azeri’s oil.
Hye, speaking of Azeri oil… there is less and less of it… as was predicted when first it was ‘found’. Manooshag
Does anyone know when the azeri oil will be finished? heard something like 2018.
The ACG fields are Azerbaijan’s largest, located 62 miles east of Baku in the Caspian Sea. Total peak production capacity is expected to reach over 1 million bbl/d in 2009. The fields are operated by BP on behalf of AIOC. There are currently 5 offshore production platforms; a sixth, the Chirag Oil Project, is under construction and is expected to start up in 2013. This new platform will be used to drill new wells in the reservoir for enhanced recovery tying into the existing system. Chirag production is projected at 185,000 bbl/d at startup in the first half of 2010. The BP-led AIOC consortium and the Azeri government are expected to approve a $10 billion project to double output from the Chirag field by 2013. The new venture is expected to extend total Azeri Light oil production of 1 million bbl/d until 2019, from 2010-2012 under the current schedule.
projected in 2009, the above goals were successfully met in 2009 and 2010