Novruz Mammadov: Course of Karabakh conflict discussions raises concern

The continuation of processes as it goes now fades hopes for peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Relations Department, Novruz Mammadov said at a conference on "Shaping the Policy Agenda: British-Azerbaijani relations in the context of Europe" of the Center for Strategic Studies under the Azerbaijani President in London today, the Center for Strategic Studies reported.

"Due to the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries and their representatives deal directly with the conflict resolution, the discussion of this issue in other frameworks is impossible," Mammadov said.

"Unfortunately, representatives of co-chairing countries dealing with the conflict settlement have not obtained any progress so far," Mammadov said. "Additionally, the co-chairs' statements do not refer to international law and the four UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict. This raises a concern with the course of discussions."

"Twenty percent of the Azerbaijani territory - Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent districts -is under occupation for more than 20 years," he said.

"The ethnic cleansing policy was conducted in the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia," he added. "Over one million of people have become refugees and IDPs. Steps that were taken in over 20 years to solve the conflict do not yield any result."

"Despite the four UN Security Council resolutions related to the conflict settlement and the fair position taken by other international organizations and institutions, the situation has not changed while there is still a threat of war," he stressed.

"Reports of some organizations and governmental institutions allege the violation of democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan. However, nothing is said about the violation of all rights of more than one million refugees and IDPs," he said.

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 four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/