MFA: Pashinyan’s proposals impossible without Armenian forces’ leaving Azerbaijani lands

By  Trend

“Creating an atmosphere of peace”, which is so often stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the context of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is impossible without withdrawing the occupying Armenian forces from the Azerbaijani territories and the return of the forcibly expelled Azerbaijani IDPs to these lands, Trend reports with reference to the press service of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

The foreign ministry stressed that the authorities of Armenia should clearly understand this.

“These points are inseparable,” said the ministry. “The original cause of all troubles is the policy pursued by Armenia against Azerbaijan, the policy of aggression and occupation, and all the rest are consequences, including the absence of an atmosphere of peace and mutual trust. This is an axiom.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.