'Armenia is hostage of its lobby'

Armenian lobby keeps Armenia under strict control, as a result of which the country has become a hostage of Armenian Diaspora, Anadolu agency quotes Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek as saying on Tuesday.

He said there are serious problems between Armenia and Turkey. Cicek reiterated that Armenia is an occupant country, which occupied one fifth of Azerbaijan's territory.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.


/Trend/