ISTANBUL (RFE/RL)—Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev Wednesday threatened to walk away from negotiations with Armenia to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict if the long-running peace process yields no breakthrough soon.
Speaking to Azerbaijani journalists during a visit to Istanbul, Aliyev again accused Armenia of dragging feet over international mediators’ most recent peace proposals which he said are “on the whole” acceptable to Baku.
“Armenia won’t respond [to the proposals,] and I think that the mediating countries must resolutely express their position,” he said. He urged the United States, Russia and France, which jointly co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, to exert a “very serious influence on the Armenian side.”
“I have repeatedly stated that we will not take part in negotiations for the sake of imitation,” added Aliyev. “We will participate in the process as long as we have hopes for achieving some results.
“Or else, the issue will move from the frozen state to another plane. Namely, the military way. It has never been excluded, and we must always be prepared for that variant.”
In recent months, Armenian leaders have repeatedly blamed Baku for the lack of decisive progress in the Karabakh peace talks. But they have yet to clarify Armenia’s official position on what the mediators call an “updated version” of their basic principles of a peaceful settlement.
A senior Russian negotiator said in March that the Armenian side has voiced a number of objections to the amended proposals. He declined to specify them.
Officials in Yerevan have instead questioned Azerbaijan’s stated acceptance of the document that was originally submitted to the conflicting parties in Madrid in late 2007. They insist that Azerbaijani leaders’ statements runs counter to a key element of the Madrid document that envisages a future referendum on self-determination in Karabakh.
They say Karabakh’s predominantly Armenian population would be able to vote for the region’s independence, reunification with Armenia or, which is extremely unlikely, return under Azerbaijani rule.
“The Azerbaijani leaders’ claims that they are ready to grant Karabakh a high degree of autonomy within Azerbaijan are an attempt to predetermine the results of that expression of will and block the application of the principle of peoples’ self-determination,” Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in the Armenian parliament on Wednesday. He also denounced the Azerbaijani war threats as an attempt to “disrupt the negotiations.”
In a speech at a regional security summit in Istanbul on Tuesday, Aliyev again stated that his government would only agree to Karabakh’s “high degree of self-rule and autonomy” within Azerbaijan. He made no mention of the proposed referendum.
Practical modalities of the vote are one of the main sticking points in the stalled peace talks. The conflicting parties are also thought to disagree on some crucial aspects of Armenian withdrawal from seven liberated Armenian territories surrounding Karabakh proper.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met the Minsk Group’s U.S., Russian and French co-chairs late last week and said afterwards that they could make “new proposals” in a bid to kick-start the negotiating process. He also said further high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani talks will be possible only if the Armenians display “a sincere desire to achieve progress.”
Aliyev noted in that regard that he plans no fresh face-to-face meetings with Sarkisian “anytime soon.” He repeated his earlier claims that Sarkisian promised to respond to the proposed Karabakh settlement in two weeks’ time when they last met in Sochi, Russia in January. “Six months have already passed, but there is still no news,” he said.
In what may have been a related development, Nalbandian on Tuesday had a phone conversation with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which was reported by the Armenian Foreign Ministry the next day. A ministry statement said the two discussed Russian-Armenian relations and “exchanged thoughts on regional issues of mutual interest.” It gave no further details.
Ilham why don’t you grow some balls and QUIT, instead of your worthless threats!
You lost the war, accept the defeat and go on with your life. Consider yourself lucky that you are able to sell crude which was stolen from their Armenian owners.
Ilham Aliyev, Hear us Armenians well. The fake name “azerbaijan” has never existed east of Armenia and Artsakh 100 years ago. After the collapse of the Russian Bolshevik regime, you “azeris” annihilated in cold blood thousands of Armenians in Baku, Sumgeit and two other cities. Therefore our brothers in Artsakh went into war with you “azeris” to gain our Artsakh back, so that our mothers, our sisters, our children and our brothers wouldn’t be eaten alive like your people did in Baku and Sumgeit. WE WON THE WAR IN 1994; ARTSAKH WAS ARMENIAN SOIL FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND IT SHALL REMAIN ARMENIAN SOIL UNTIL THE END OF TIMES!!!!!!!
one wrong move the artificial construct of so called azerbaijan will be no more. LOL
I not getting this really… Is he serious when he is saying that entire Lharabagh is going to be returned to Azerbaijan ^^
He and everybody else in this world knows that this argument is very unlikely to happen !!
This revelation after a visit by General Gates? I guess he didn’t tell them what they want to hear.
…that, plus Putin restated his “neutrality” on the issue ant that Russia will not exert pressure on Armenia to solve the conflict.
actualy there is no need to be fooled..Both parties know that all these negotiation are fruitless as long as Armenia says “independence” and Azerbaijan says “territorial integrity”…i think Armenian side should step away as well.
I am referring to military doctrine of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is decaring de facto war on NKR. NKR should be ready for preventive war … RoA and NKR should use this – very sad – but unique opportunity and reconsider there position…. Given these facts Armenia should refuse any negation behalf of NKR . RoA should freeze the current status and refuse so called “Madrid principles” …
First Azerbaijan should apoligize to Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh for Sumgain,and Baku programs,then also should apologize for leashing a war of 1991-1994 which caused the death of thousands,then reperate Armenians for the loss,retuns the assetts of Armenians of Azerbaijan,Vacate Shashumyan,Getashen.then recognize the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh,this is only could be done with direct involvment of Karbakh.
Garo:
That would be the best case scenario for Armenia but it is not going to happen.
Eddy, Armenia above all should recogize Artsakh as an independent country/state. What is in the Madrid principles?
This bellicose horse who lost the war …trying to rule Armenians and Artsakh from his corrupted thrown..definitely there is something wrong with his head..those Turks deserved to have a loser oily man like him..he should go back to school and learn about Armenians and history of and Turkic world, then he may change his mind and press himself as a Kurd..
a war against us at this point would be more positive than negative. that would unite internal powers in Armenia and Armenia with the diaspora. turks will be then met with a crushing response. tatarmongrilstan will shatter. Russia would like this but i dont think the jews and US would like it much. Naxijevan and the rest of occupied Artsakh will again be under our control. the bad side is we will again have martyrs.
Armanen
WE HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN,NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ARMENIAN WILL POWER
I have the final solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue—-Send the twin brother of the YELLOW STAIN turks,aliyev,to rehab,with his brothers,the turkies, and let the people of the area sit down and by dialougue,try to find a solution.Let the majority win.Keep out the crooked politicians and the rest of the world,its none of their business,they only confuse the issue.
“No people should be forced to live under the rule of another”. These are the words of Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of Northern Cyprus in 2007. Perhaps Ilham Alyev should heed the advice of his Turkic cousin. As the saying goes, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander …”
Azeri please quit the process. If you’re a man then do what you say. We get friggin sick and tired with all words and no actions. The only way you should get Karaback back is by military force and not by peaceful means.
Let’s do a deal. Start a war for good, if you can take it, then it’s yours, if you don’t succeed, and instead we recover some more land, then just accept it! What the heck is the problem, don’t you have enough space, there’s no enough land for you people to live in or what.
In case I will go back again. how about you ………. ?
Zareh,
Are you mad? Do you really want another war? Do you really want another drop of Armenian blood shed??????
Hayer miyatsek (oo zayratsek) hayrenikoom amenorya kasharakerootyan dem. Mer Teshnamin nersits e aveli kan Azerbaijanits.
Let them walk out.It would be in Armenias best intrest though to keep the pressure on them.Anex Artsak and then negosiate.What are they going to do? All the Turkish money spent on an Azeri millitary will be waisted and both thier economies will be in the toilet.
The authorities in NKR should be aware of the fact that there “friends” in Yerevan currently are doing everything possible to create tension in the society and making the life of people as hard as possible – specially for the people living in villages. This irresponsible and partially criminal policy of authorities will do no good to our people and NKR!! !
http://www.azatutyun.am/video/8241.html
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev with that mustash looks stupid; but wealthy. He purchased a lot of expensive property in United Arab Emirates with the oil money. He is a very corrupt president.
Let Aliev quit the negoitation which he wont. He’s come to realize that the world is not going to put pressure on armenia regarding Artsakh. Aliev has noted that he will also take the karabakh by force if negotiations don’t give their favored result. But my friends I’d just like to say that he is not going to quit the Minsk Group for 1 simple reason: He clearly knows that they can not win the war if they start. He’s been threatening Armenia for a long time and he never dared to start a war. He’s also mad that the West and Russia are pumping their oil and not doing anything to solve the Artsakh problem… I’m confident that Alievs threats are empty since he’s seen the power of Armenian Army in Karabakh.
According to what we hear , read and understand from Military Doctrine of the Azerbajdzhan , now is the best time for Republic of Armenia to recognize NKR . That firm and solid answer to stupidity of azeri doctrine (like we never knew what they think) is on the paper in the form of official document which gives us unique chance to catch those idiots on their mortal mistake – to put their mind on paper and name it as a “Doctrine” … Turks of any kind were never so stupid to do the “paperwork” before action , azeri-turks wanted to look civilized … Well , it is a golden opportunity for us …
This Week
On Monday- Obama Sends Gates to Baku to Strengthen US-Azeri Partnership…,
On Tuesday- Putin Rules Out Russian Pressure On Armenia, Azerbaijan- and expects other mediating powers to be just as cautious…,
On Wednesday- Suicidal Guy of Azerbaijan Threatens To Quit Karabakh Peace Talks …,
I find Mr Gates is responsible for the Actions of Azerbaijan’s Mad Guy for what ever has promised to him on Monday!
Samvel jan, I said it before and now you are saying as well. This is the golden opportunity, Armenia must recognize Artsakh’s (formerly known Nagorno-Karapakh) independence.
Not the brightest star in the Causasus is he?
Sadly the biggest traitor is amongst us Serzh, just read this report.
Haykakan Zhamanak , Armenia
June 5 2010
Medvedev will bring it to Armenia in August
Diplomatic circles are saying that Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev
will bring a final agreement on the Karabakh settlement to Armenia in
August.
Our diplomatic sources say that there has also been an agreement on
the deployment of peacekeeping forces in territories adjacent to
Karabakh. According to it, Kalbacar, Fuzuli and Agdam districts will
be ceded [Armenia will return the territories to Azerbaijan] at the
first stage. Russian troops will be deployed in Kalbacar, and US
troops in Fuzuli, and Azerbaijan will immediately start rehabilitation
work in Agdam. Thus, in fact, NATO troops will be stationed in Fuzuli,
which borders Iran, and probably Iran’s growing interest in a Nagornyy
Karabakh settlement is linked to this circumstance. There are also
reports that [former Armenian President] Robert Kocharyan visited
Moscow in the week commencing on 24 April [- 30 May] and complained
saying: “What are you doing? We will have problems in the country
[Armenia].” However, they [the Russian authorities] explained that
[Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan has consented to the proposed
option and said that he had said “yes” to everything.
like Serj said before.. if Aliyev knows that he can win the war, he wouldn’t delay it even one second..
Mr. Alyev is quitting the talks about Karabagh !
Djehanammi dibina!
Firstiwal there can be no meaningfull dialog untill Artsakh have theire own representetive in the the meetings. After all they have their own parliament and have proven that they can think for themselves.
Secondly since the world seems to refuse to accept Artsakh as a seporate country from Azerbaijan, then the world must insist Azerbaijan to give Artsakh it’s fare share of the oil revenue ever since they split, since that will never happen then the world can not be against an internall war in Azerbaijan which will result in Shushi being declared the capital of Azerbaijan and Artsakh rulling over these Barbaric people who have no identity, who did’nt exist 100 years ago as a nation.