Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hikmet Hajiyev has commented on the statement made by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian about Armenia’s possible recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia, by showing complete disregard for the position of the international community and by continuing to grossly violate the generally accepted norms and principles of international law, as well as the requirements of the UN Security Council resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, implements a policy of maintaining the status quo based on occupation and aggression, Hajiyev told Trend Oct.8.
In his speech during the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov once again clearly expressed the country’s strong position on the process of the conflict’s settlement, said Hajiyev.
Mammadyarov reiterated that the Nagorno-Karabakh region has always been and will remain the integral part of Azerbaijan, he noted.
Azerbaijan will never accept the occupation of its territories and the conflict can only be resolved within its territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders, he said, adding that the international community also strongly supports this position.
The internationally recognized borders of states can’t be changed by the use of force, he added.
As Hajiyev said, during the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly it was particularly noted that if Armenia, following negotiations, doesn’t fully and unconditionally withdraw its military from the occupied territories, Azerbaijan will have to exercise its right, in line with the UN Charter’s Article 51, to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
“In such a case, all the responsibility rests solely on Armenia as an occupant country,” said Hajiyev.
“The sooner Armenia realizes this reality, the faster the conflict will be solved, and the countries and peoples of the region will benefit from cooperation and economic development prospects,” he added.
Earlier, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in the country’s parliament that in case of military actions, Armenia will take all the necessary steps as a “guarantor of security” of Nagorno-Karabakh, including its “recognition”.
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI
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