BAKU (Noyan Tapan)–The Azeri Foreign Ministry issued a statement Wednesday regarding the Karabakh conflict–arguing that the resolution of the conflict greatly depended on the end of a so-called war between the Armenian lobby and US oil giants which have invested in the Caspian oil
"The US State Department finds that it would have been possible to sign a peace agreement this year–based on which Armenia would have been forced to return all occupied territories to Azerbaijan. The status of Nagorno-Karabakh under Azeri control would then be determined by international mediation efforts," read the statement.
The Azeri foreign ministry also stated that while US oil companies were investing billions of dollars in Azeri oil interests–the US Congress–due to the relentless efforts of the Armenian lobby–was prohibiting US assistance to Azerbaijan.
The statement also added that Armenia–which was the second highest per-capita US aid recipient behind Israel–was being thrown "in the lap of Iran," which is so hated by the Americans and has now become Armenia’s number one trading partner.
"We cannot also forget Russia–which is looking at Armenia as the its military base in the Caucasus–following the military agreemen’s signed between the two countries," reminded the statement.
The foreign ministry also announced that Russia had abandoned its earlier claims on the Caspian oil reserves. Last November–Russia had suggested to divide the Caspian between its littoral states.
"It should be mentioned that the US ambassador to Russia–Jim Collins–in addressing the US position on the Caspian–has stated that the Caspian littoral states should resolve that issue among themselves–in order to secure the best possible means to excavate the oil and maintain the region’s natural reserves–which will benefit the climate for investment," the statement concluded.
Based on the text of the statement issued by the Azeri News Service–the Noyan Tapan news agency contacted the US embassy in Yerevan to clarify whether a document existed which articulated the State Department’s position on the Karabakh conflict as announced in the Azeri statement.
The US embassy officials stated that they would comment on the matter Friday.
