BAKU (Noyan Tapan)–During his visit to Baku on the occasion of "NATO Week" at the IT Institute of the National Academy of Sciences–NATO Deputy Secretary General Jean Furne commented on the Karabagh conflict in response to an inquiry posed by a news reporter interested in determining NATO’s plans for the region.
"I would like to put that issue aside altogether," commented Furne. "The resolution of such conflicts is tedious and time consuming. The conflicting parties determine the fate of the settlement–and [NATO] cannot interfere with the process at this point. We have to put our faith in the willingness of both sides to foster productive dialogue. It is for this reason that you should not expect NATO to do much for the resolution of the conflict in Karabagh. NATO may–however–play a role during decisive periods."
