The mediators on the Karabakh conflict have given a downbeat assessment of Saturday's talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.
"The efforts made so far by the parties to the conflict have not been sufficient to overcome their differences," the heads of the Russian, French and US delegations to the OSCE informal ministerial meeting in Almaty said in a statement issued after the talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, as the senior representatives in Almaty of the OSCE Minsk Group mediators on Karabakh, had had a joint meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on Saturday.
Following Saturday's meeting, Elmar Mammadyarov repeated the accusation that Armenia kept returning to subjects that had already been agreed in talks.
"After two meetings we discuss the main problems again," Mammadyarov told journalists. “I think that Armenia is not trying move forward and achieve stability,” APA news agency reported.
He said that Azerbaijan was ready to open all communications once Armenian troops had been withdrawn from five of the seven occupied districts around Karabakh.
Mammadyarov also accused Armenia of taking into account only the last meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in St Petersburg, while all presidential meetings on Nagorno-Karabakh were important,.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the Almaty meeting had been useful, but Azerbaijan’s non-constructive position had not allowed a joint statement to be made, News.Am reported.
The mediating countries touched in their statement on the nub of the conflict, the competing claims of territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan insists takes precedence in the case of Karabakh, and self-determination, which Armenia wants to see for the Armenians of Karabakh.
"The heads of delegation of the co-chair countries recalled the joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh of 1 December 2009 at the OSCE Ministerial meeting in Athens and reminded the sides of their commitment to seek a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principles contained in the Helsinki Final Act, particularly those related to refraining from the threat or use of force, the territorial integrity of states, and the equal rights and self determination of peoples," the OSCE statement said.
"They reiterated that the elements articulated by Presidents Medvedev, Sarkozy, and Obama on 10 July 2009 at L'Aquila and repeated at Muskoka on 26 June 2010 must be the foundation of any fair and lasting settlement to the conflict. These proposed elements have been conceived as an integrated whole, and any attempt to select some elements over others would make it impossible to achieve a balanced solution," the statement continued.
Speaking after the talks, the Armenian foreign minister picked up on the OSCE statement, stressing that one principle could not take precedence over another: “The co-chairing countries clearly stated that that was a non-constructive approach. There can be no discrimination between the principles or selective approach. All the principles were formulated as a single whole,” Nalbandian said.
The mediators spoke out against the use of force, condemning a clash on the contact line separating Armenian and Azerbaijani troops on 18 June, in which at least five soldiers died.
The mediators "deplored recent developments which have increased tension in the region, including the serious armed incident of 18-19 June 2010 and inflammatory public statements. They warned that the use of force created the current situation, and its use again would only lead to suffering, devastation, and a legacy of conflict and hostility that would last for generations," the OSCE statement said.
"They urged a greater spirit of compromise to reach agreement on a common basis for continuing the negotiations. Additional actions by the sides are needed to reinforce the ceasefire of 1994 and to create a more favorable atmosphere for further political dialogue and reaching agreements. The heads of delegation of the co-chair countries renewed their commitment to support the sides in reaching a peace agreement, but reiterated that the primary responsibility to put an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict still remains with Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders."
The OSCE statement welcomed Russia's efforts to mediate a settlement: "Foreign Minister Kouchner and Deputy Secretary Steinberg expressed appreciation for the efforts of President Medvedev and Foreign Minister Lavrov to bridge the differences between the parties, taking into consideration the positions discussed during the meetings in Sochi on 25 January 2010 and in St Petersburg on 17 June 2010."
Following talks with Elmar Mammadyarov, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Almaty that the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks had been unsuccessful.
He also said that the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border had not been discussed.
Mammadyarov noted in Almaty that Azerbaijan was still seeking the return of the body of its soldier killed in the armed clash on 18-19 June. The International Committee of the Red Cross is mediating the return.
News.Az
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