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Department chief of Azerbaijan Presidential Administration: â€œMinsk Group countries, including co-chairs, never show concrete positionâ€

20 November 2009 13:19 (UTC +04:00)

People rather feel the results of financial crisis and therefore donâ€™t pay attention to its impact on politics and diplomacyâ€, said chief of the international relations department of the Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov at the international conference â€œSecurity challenges in the South Caucasus: realities and prospects of regional developmentâ€.

He said politicians, experts and diplomats were seeing and understanding it well: â€œI consider that there is a crisis in diplomacy and politics today. To me, today existence of diplomacy, politics and international law should be reflected on one issue only â€“ Armenia â€“ Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflictâ€¦U.S. Congress passed Section 907 against Azerbaijan as a result of this conflict in 1992. Everyone thinks today that it was incorrect and groundless decision. But this decision has allowed Armenia to receive 2.5 billion dollars of assistance from the United States since than. Azerbaijan, which suffered from the aggression, didnâ€™t receive any assistance from the United States. Second example, following the August 2008 events in the region, the world community, the West decided that Armenia lost 500-600 million dollars in this process and therefore it needs in assistance. They decided to let some countries and international institutions to assist Armenia. Though all over the world, including the West know that most damages fell on Azerbaijan and our country lost more than one billion dollars. But they kept silence on this issue. I have an impression that the West directed all its efforts to support Armenia for long years. It avoids explanations making superficial statementsâ€.

Mammadov said he didnâ€™t understand reasons of that: â€œIndeed Azerbaijan is only country in the post-soviet space usefully working with the West. It is enough to give an example of one pipeline project carried out by Azerbaijan to prove my words. But foreign ministers of six leading countries became intercessor to Armenia for 3-5 hours in Zurich during the signing of protocols. Why? What a reason? Though Minsk Group countries, including co-chairs never show such concrete position on the Nagorno Karabakh conflictâ€.

The official reminded that representatives of the West, who were talking about the conflict, say everything is OK and there is not much left until the solution to the conflict. â€œWhat does it need to calm the international community? Sometimes even the President of Azerbaijan says that the negotiations are not useful, but the European representative says that the negotiations are going well and the problem will be solved in near future. It seems they try to calm the international community. Azerbaijan has made its fundamental choice since the independence. Azerbaijan wants to establish democratic, legal and civil society. Of course, we have problems. I acknowledge that. Every country, event the most developed societies have the problems. May be we have little bit more. But it is important for us and the world community hat we made our choice and we are doing all efforts toward this. Someone in the country and abroad write that if Azerbaijan respected justice and democratic principles, it would be supported in the West. But I consider these arguments groundless because there are tens of other examples before our eyes. For example, Afghanistanâ€¦ The world community gathers 27 presidents together, discuss the processes there and make statements every day, but they keep silence while Azerbaijani lands are occupied. Supposing someone thinks there are disputes over Nagorno Karabakh. What leaders show concrete position regarding 7 occupied regions? Who says that hundreds thousands of people were expelled from those regions? Why they donâ€™t think about them?â€
Novruz Mammadov also touched on the reactions to the arrest of Adnan Hajizadeh and Emin Milli.
â€œThey were called bloggers after this incident, earlier they had not been known as bloggers. I analyzed the statistics, within three or four months western media wrote about them more than the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. What is the aim? We are thinking over these questions. No other state in the region is so significant as Azerbaijan for the West. First of all, because it is a rich state, secondly, its geopolitical and geostrategical position is very important, thirdly, it is a Muslim state and can serve as an example to all Muslim states, and this is very important for the West in future. The world is developing, dialogue between the West and East, Islamic world and Christian world has always been and should be important. Taking al this into account it seems that justice is failing in the international relations. Why did the leading countries form the international law after the World War II? The norms and principles of the international law are for everybody. If they are only for 3-5 states, what should the other 200 states do? A year ago BBC conducted a poll in Muslim countries to learn the attitude towards America. Eight of the ten respondents said they hated America. This is an indicator, and the indicator that causes anxiety,â€ he said.
The department chief called on everybody to speak concretely and be fair.
â€œOur friends in the West, those who have gathered here, who are not here, the states with which we have close cooperation, the countries co-chairing Minsk Group should speak concretely concerning these issues. The two sides can never be guilty equally in a conflict. Since when has the principle â€œSolve yourself, we will support youâ€ been considered the norm of the international law? Why should it be applied especially to Azerbaijan? The US and Russia share position only on one issue, this is the Nagorno Karabakh problem, in all other issues their positions differ. Why? This makes us think. Though Azerbaijan is a young state, it is mighty, has chosen its way and believes it will develop and reach its goals. We will move on this way, even though there is difficult situation. I think our friends in the West, East, South and North will sooner or later have more sensitive approach to the principle of justice and express their concrete and fair position on these processes,â€ he said.