Wednesday, August 15, 2007, #155 (1422)

Yerevan and Baku reiterate deadlock on Nagorno-Karabakh

The best way to settle conflict, some political analysts argue, is with economic development that benefits all sides.

Recent rhetorical scuffles between Armenia and Azerbaijan suggest this is not an option in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the news agency Regnum writes.

During his recent visit to Kazakhstan, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan blamed the Armenian side for the deadlock in negotiations over the disputed region, and pointed out that the financial gain of cooperating with Azerbaijan would outweigh any foreign aid Armenia is receiving. Relations between Baku and Yerevan will improve, he said, only when Armenia stops its politics of occupation.

Viktor Sodomonian, press secretary for Armenian President Robert Kocharian, responded by saying that negotiations were frustrated because of Azerbaijan's unconstructive and backward-thinking approach.

Sodomonian added that the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh indisputably exists, and cannot be subject to trade or concessions.


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