http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1142372&lang=EN
No Connections between Recognition of Kosovo's Independence and Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Head of OSCE PA 23.02.08 13:58 Austria, Vienna, 23 February /corr. Trend News A.Aleskerov / There are no connections between the internationally recognition of Kosovo's independence and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Goran Lennmarker. "Kosovo case is judged on its own merits, Nagorno-Karabakh will be decided on its own merits," Goran Lennmarker, who is OSCE's rapporteur on Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said in an interview with Trend News. Since the Parliament of Kosovo unanimously ratified the declaration on its independence, the countries with on-going conflicts emerging from separatism apprehend that recognition of the independence of Kosovo may become a precedent for their integrity. The Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and its seven surrounding regions were occupied by Armenia when the USSR was collapsing. The region declared its will to get independence, which contradicts with the territorial integrity international principals. Lennmarker considers that the presidential elections in Armenia and the new elected president of Armenia will fetch usefulness as for the resolution of this conflict. He emphasized the importance and enormous prospects waiting for involved two countries after an agreement. Lennmarker said that the main topic of the negotiations during the visit of him and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ilkka Kanerva to Armenia and Azerbaijan at the end of February is going to be the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations. Before being elected the President of Armenia, former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan had said to Reuters that recognizing of Kosovo's independence by the international community will give more arguments to the supporters of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan is seeking to return. Since 1999 Kosovo region, which is formally a part of Serbia, has been controlled by the UN. On 17 February the Parliament of Kosovo unanimously ratified the declaration on its independence. Some 30 countries, including the EU, USA, Germany, France, recognized Kosovo's independence. Belgrade described the declaration invalid and called on the international community to cancel it for contracting with the international law. Russia stated that it is not going to recognize Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence. Moreover, Russian insists on an annulment of the decision of independence.
