YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia will submit its own proposals on how to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict if Azerbaijan persists with its rejection of the current international peace plan–an aide to President Robert Kocharian said on Thursday.
"If Azerbaijan continues to reject the OSCE’s (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) proposals–Armenia will be forced to come up with its own proposals," Aram Sarkisian–a presidential adviser for foreign affairs–told reporters.
The OSCE plan–drafted by Russian–US and French negotiators–has overall been accepted by Armenia and Karabakh. Azerbaijan says the document does not uphold its sovereignty over the Armenian-populated disputed territory and is therefore unacceptable.
Senior Russian diplomats have indicated recently Moscow is ready to amend the plan to make it acceptable to Azerbaijan. However–the Armenian and Karabakh authorities have warned that they will not make more concessions to Baku than envisaged by the existing proposals.
Sarkisian would not specify what Yerevan may propose to break the deadlock. He said last week’s meeting between Kocharian and his Azeri counterpart Haydar Aliyev during the CIS summit in Moscow produced "certain signs that may soon see further development." He said Kocharian proposed to Aliyev to revive bilateral economic ties to facilitate the search for peace.