Former US Assistant of Secretary of State for the South Caucasus, the former US ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza has commented in an interview with a ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ correspondent on the recently adopted resolution by the PACE on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"It is important that PACE focuses the international attention in Europe on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, the statement that urges to avoid violence has good intentions, but it is quite limited,’’ he said.
According to the former diplomat, it would be better if the PACE had urged the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group to interact personally with each other and the parties in order to fulfill the Madrid principles. The conflict will continue forever without such an action at the highest level. There is a risk of even more serious clashes than those, which occurred in early April," Bryza pointed out.
On Tuesday, April 19th, the PACE adopted a resolution on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The document was signed by 44 deputies.
"Being convinced that the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had no alternative the PACE reaffirmed its support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, the only internationally agreed format of negotiations, for finding a lasting and just settlement of the conflict,’’ the resolution says.
In this regard, the deputies of the PACE urged "to respect the repeated calls of the OSCE Minsk Group not to undermine their mandate and not to complicate the negotiating process."
"We share the concern about the rising tensions in the conflict zone and the use of heavy weapons such as howitzers and rocket launchers is unacceptable, as it poses a serious threat to the civilian population,’’ the document says.
The resolution expresses deep regret "about the deaths, including among civilians."
‘‘The creation of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations, as well as a number of other proposals of the Minsk Group on measures to boost confidence in the Ceasefire Agreement as of 1994 will help to reduce tensions and create a more favorable atmosphere for the progress of peaceful negotiations,’’ the document informs, Trend reports.
Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
