The chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, Joao Soaresh, in an interview to the BBC Azerbaijani service, has blamed Armenia for dragging on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Vesti.az reports.
He said that some believe that for the last 6 years there has been an opportunity to conclude an agreement. Soaresh felt the desire of Azerbaijan and Armenia to solve the issue. But he doubts whether the new president of Armenia has the authority before the political powers to achieve results.
Soraesh mentioned the Madrid principles as a form of solving the conflict. But there are other factors affecting the issue. Steps were made a year ago for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. But then there was the problem of ratifying the documents. There are also problems of Armenian innternal policy. Armenian communities in Russia, the USA and Europe have strong influence and many agree that these communities may be the factor complicating the settlement process, Soaresh notes.
The chairman added that if Armenians make the necessary steps the result would be opening borders with Turkey. Armenians that have been living abroad for 30 years should not determine Armenia's policy.
The chairman believes that even if the proposals fo rthe Nagorno-Karabakh settlement are not optimal, they are acceptable. Soraesh emphasized that everything he said is his personal opinion and does not reflect the position of the Parliamentary Assembly. `
