YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–An OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation headed by Goran Lennmarker–met on Thursday with the head of Armenia’s delegation to the OSCE–and National Assembly (NA) Vice President Vahan Hovhannisian–to discuss the Mountainous Karabagh conflict.
Lennmarker–who is visiting the region for the first time–stated that his mission is to work with the OSCE Minsk Group in seeking to regulate the conflict–and requested Hovhannisian present the history of fundamental issues surrounding the conflict–as well as current developmen’s.
Hovhannisian noted that international and European diplomatic circles have stepped up efforts recently to review issues tied to the South Caucasus. As such–it is unacceptable that under the influence of Turkish and Azeri diplomatic pressure–Mountainous Karabagh is presented as an adversary and not a participant. The issue–he stressed–has been spun into one of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hovhannisian emphasized that a resolution to the conflict will be reached–only when Karabagh becomes a party in finding that solution. He also noted the danger of recent aggressive announcemen’s by Azeri officials–who having broken the 1994 ceasefire agreement–threaten to resolve the conflict with force–and refuse to negotiate with Karabagh–thus complicating the issue.
He also said that Turkey’s unrestrained support of Azerbaijan threatens the stability of the entire region.
The OSCE delegation also met with the NA’s Foreign Relations Committee chairman Armen Rustamian to discuss the Karabagh conflict.
