ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI MONITORING GROUPS' VISIT TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH POSTPONED

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian and Azerbaijani monitoring groups' visit to Nagorno Karabakh is postponed till the middle of May. PACE Armenian delegation head, chair of commission on foreign relations of the National Assembly Ohanes Ohanesian has stated this in his interview with "Arka" agency. He noted that decision had been reached in Saint Petersburg at the meeting of the PACE Bureau. According to him, before this, the commission had made decision twice in Budapest, according to which 8-13 April the monitoring would take place in Armenia and April 5-8 it would take place in Azerbaijan. April 8-9 joint monitoring in Karabakh was expected. "But the Azeri monitoring group representative Martinos Kazano refused to leave for Azerbaijan on the stipulated days explaining that with different reasons", O. Ohanesian told. He noted that as a result of that, the Azeri group monitoring had been postponed and this would have effects on joint monitoring in Karabakh. "As a result of this, Armenia proposed to postpone the monitoring of its group", stated the head of the PACE Armenian delegation. He told this was an acceptable variant for Armenia as there would be time to get ready for the visit of the monitoring groups. Ohanesian also told in April at the PACE meeting the reporter on Karabakh issue would be appointed and this would be followed by the joint visit of the reporter and the two monitoring groups to Karabakh. It should be noted that as deputy leader of the Armenian delegation to the PACE Armen Rustamian said earlier in his interview with "Arka" agency, Azerbaijan tried to make use of the request of Spaniard Martinos Kazano on the postponement of the visit of the monitoring group in order to remove this issue from the agenda.

According to Rustamian "they in Baku explained their position with that the visit to Nagorno-Karabakh could be evaluated in Azerbaijan as an indirect recognition of Karabakh as a State". At the same time, Azeri foreign minister told the visit of the CE monitoring group to Nagorno Karabakh was important, in order for this organization to have an objective impression about the region.