YEREVAN. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Yerevan calls for snipers to be removed from the front positions of the Karabakh conflict zone and an agreement to be reached on the renouncement of the use of force, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said.
"At a meeting in Astrakhan, brokered by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a very good agreement was reached to create a mechanism of investigating incidents on the line of contact, which could become a mechanism preventing incidents and violations of the cease-fire regime in general. The presidents agreed, and the Azerbaijani president also put his signature under the statement. But shortly after this agreement the Azerbaijanis made a step back, effectively, opposing the creation of such a mechanism," the Armenian minister said in an interview with Interfax ahead of a state visit to Russia by the Armenian president on October 23-25.
This issue was discussed in Vienna the other day, and "was opposed by an Azeri representative," he said.
"The co-chairs, the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), other international organizations, the United Nations secretary general called for the withdrawal of snipers and a stronger cease-fire regime. There was a proposal to reach an agreement renouncing the use of force and a threat of the use of force. All these proposals are being supported by us, supported by the international community, but opposed by Azerbaijan," the Armenian foreign minister said.
"There is yet another evidence that the Azeri leadership are in fact not prepared to agree to the settlement, and have some other, dangerous plans in their heads, which can have dangerous consequences not only for region, but primarily precisely for Azerbaijan."
Full interview with the Armenian foreign minister will be posted on the www.interfax.ru website on Saturday.