TODAY.AZ / Politics

Australia condemns occupation of Azerbaijani territories

01 December 2015 [14:10] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The Australian government has said it recognizes the sovereignty of Azerbaijan in regard to Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said her country condemns all manifestations of occupation policies in the world.

She made remarks in response to the question from Luke Simpkins, head of the Australia-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group, MP from the State of Western Australia, regarding the official position of Australia on the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, the Azerbaijani embassy in Australian told Dailykarabakh website.

Bishop stated that Australia has been pursuing a long-term policy in connection with the condemnation of the occupation of world’s sovereign territories.

Australia doesn’t recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and it supports OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts toward the solution of the problem, she added.

Bishop urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to come together to settle the problem peacefully and put an end to the conflict and the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Earlier, Simpkins announced that he intends to raise issues concerning Azerbaijan in the Australian parliament, while urging Armenia to withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani territories.

The bloody war, which flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor, left 700,000 civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions adjoining it, as well as the regions bordering with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh without homes.

Moreover, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia and became refugees due to Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijanis who had displaced from their homes as result of the brutal war were forced to live in refugee camps in very difficult conditions.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/145607.html

Print version

Views: 1283

Connect with us. Get latest news and updates.

Recommend news to friend

  • Your name:
  • Your e-mail:
  • Friend's name:
  • Friend's e-mail: