ASTANA, Kazakhstan—Hours after adding his name Wednesday to a five-party statement promising “more decisive efforts” to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, lashed out at Armenia claiming that it was the aggressor in the Karabakh conflict.
At the onset of the OSCE Summit, which convened in Kazakhstan’s new capital, the heads of the US, Russian and French delegation were joined by President Serzh Sarkisian and Aliyev in issuing a joint statement on the Karabakh conflict resolution and their collective pledge to take more concrete steps toward peace.
“On the occasion of the OSCE Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (the President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev, the Prime Minister of France Francois Fillon, and the Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton), the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and the President of Armenia Serge Sargsian agreed that the time has come for more decisive efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” read the statement.
“In this context, they recalled the joint statements of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the President of the Russian Federation, on November 2, 2008, in Moscow, and on October 27, 2010, in Astrakhan. They further agreed that a peaceful, negotiated settlement will bring stability and security and is the only way to bring real reconciliation to the peoples of the region,” the statement continued.
“The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed their commitment to seek a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, based upon: the principles and norms of international law; the United Nations Charter; the Helsinki Final Act; as well as the statements of Presidents Medvedev, Sarkozy, and Obama, at L’Aquila on July 10, 2009, and at Muskoka on June 26, 2010,” added the statement.
“The three OSCE Co-Chair countries pledged their support for the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia as they make the necessary decisions to reach a peaceful settlement. They urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to focus with renewed energy on the issues that still remain in the Basic Principles, and instructed their Co-Chairs to continue to work with the parties to the conflict to assist in these efforts. In order to create a better atmosphere for the negotiations, they called for additional steps to strengthen the ceasefire and carry out confidence-building measures in all fields,” concluded the statement.
Aliyev and Sarkisian did not meet at Astana. An Armenian diplomatic source, who asked not to be identified, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that the Azerbaijani leader canceled his planned talks with Sarkisian and Medvedev “at the last minute.”
The source claimed that Aliyev did so because of “glaring contradictions” between the text of the five-party statement and his speech at the summit delivered later in the day, reported RFE/RL.
Instead, in a speech delivered to the summit, Aliyev accused Armenia of prolonging the conflict’s status quo and manipulating the OSCE-led peace process.
Armenia wants to “change the negotiations conducted by mediation of OSCE Minsk Group into a senseless process. Negotiations have been conducted for 20 years, but there is no result. We are ready to continue negotiations, finish it in a short time, achieve results based on territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and corresponding to international norms and principles,” said Aliyev.
In his usual rhetoric, Aliyev accused Armenia of initiating the war in Karabakh and occupying territories, as well as committing war crimes during the Karabakh liberation struggle in the early 1990s.
This was in stark contrast to statements made by Medvedev and Clinton during the summit.
“And we must also renew our efforts toward a settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh based on basic principles elaborated under the auspices of the Minsk Group. Let me reiterate on behalf of the Minsk Group co-chair countries that the foundation of any lasting and fair settlement must be the Helsinki principles as well as the six elements articulated by Presidents Medvedev, Sarkozy, and Obama on July 10, 2009 at L’Aquila and repeated at Muskoka on June 26, 2010,” said Clinton.
“These proposed elements were conceived as an integrated whole and any attempt to select some elements over others would make it impossible to achieve a balanced solution,” said Clinton in reference to the six principles.
She also stressed that the conflict should be resolved based on non-use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity and self-determination.
Her sentiments were echoed by Medvedev who said, “the OSCE should develop common principles to settle conflicts which should be applied permanently and without selection,” explaining that the universal principles should be “disavowal of the use of force, respect for existing negotiation formats and residents of conflict areas.”
Sarkisian is expected to address the summit Thursday.
Having read Mr.Aliev’s statement, you can feel the man is ‘Mad’ with blood flowing out of his eye sockets. Karabakh Armenians be prepared, Aliev is about to go on shootring rampage.
The behaviour of the young brother doesn’t differ much from the old one in Ankara.
This is not the Germany of 1939 but Republic of Azerbaijani in 2010. President Sarkisian should demand an international expert team of doctors and physiologies to examine the health and mental abilities of Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev …
(Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health )
Happy all those nations who do not have like Armenia two Turkish states – such as Azerbaijan and Turkey almost with the same a racist and fascist state doctrine – as there neighbours !
Baku officials are in no way happy with the fact, being forced to sign the cease fire regime with the defence army of Arstakh. Azerbaijani media and propaganda department is simply blanking it out and trying to hid this fact from Azerbaijani society!
The real purpose of signing such documents and statements by Azerbaijani jointly with Armenia is to make Armenia the only party to conflict pushing Arstakh out of process!
1- Azerbaijani is doing first of all everything to cement its “territorial integrity”
2- To make the world believe the conflict is between Armenia and Azerbaijan and making the world community to forget the criminal policy pursued by Stalin & Co …
I have to believe that, despite Azerbaijan’s oil power, tha the big three are getting tired of Aliyev’s behavior.The entire intent of these joint statements is display some common ground as the basis of continuing negotiations…. to create, at least the perception, that their is a basis for dialogue. Aliyev, bewtween his public rhetoric and cease fire violations is a drag on the process. Allof this should give Armenia some much needed leverage at some point. Aliyev sees the handwriting on this one and he’s not happy. The big three must be asking themselves…. how do we undo defacto independence and 20 years of building a sovereign infrastructure and turn it over to Aliyev. I don’t think so/ Defacto is the status quo.
No surprise. During his father’s rule his luxrious lifestyle was similiar to Uday Saddam. He is unpredictable and unstable person. Ha can talk about peace and thenstart war or vice versa. OSCE, Mr. Sargsyan and specially Karabakhtsis must know about that
i am writing from nakhcivan. there is no long time we must to conquer irevan as a part of azerbaijan.
No hello? how are you? it’s nice to meet you?
You just go straight to the threatening.
Are you sure you wouldn’t like Armenia simply to free your people from the daily repression and vioence that exists in the occupied onclave of Nakhijevan? How are things under the tyranny of Vasif Talibov?
All those meetings and promises are BS…sorry. First, when did Karaback became part of Azerbaijan and how? By Stalin simply giving it to them, which is against ANY international rules and regulations, so why not just annul that stupid decision and make everybody’s live easier instead of those long and empty promises written for so many years in so many summits!!!! And secondly, in Democratic world, Western democrat countries should not even accept Aliev as a legal President, because he inherited this position from his father, not by legal vote!
Anait, I appreciate your frustration. It is a role Armenians have been accustomed to playing in history… being on the morally correct side of the issue yet thwarted by geo-political aggressors. The difference this time is that our heroes in Karabagh seized the moment and vanquished the enemy. It will all be worth it when Artsakh is recognized for the freedom it has secured.