Agence France Presse
Oct 20 2004

Azerbaijan wants UN to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh
AFP: 10/20/2004

BAKU, Oct 20 (AFP) – The former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan will
take up the issue of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh,
which is controlled by neighboring Armenia, at the UN general
assembly, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

“Azerbaijan will propose that (the UN) discuss the situation
concerning Azerbaijan’s occupied territories…this cannot be
acceptable for the entire international community,” the ministry said
in a press release.

Azerbaijan fought a bloody war with its rival Armenia in 1990 over
the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic Armenian enclave that left 35,000 people
dead and a million civilians displaced.

The conflict ended with a ceasefire in 1994.

The enclave was left in Armenian hands, but Azerbaijan still claims
the territory, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan claims the territory is a breeding ground for separatist
extremists. Critics say this is a tactic to rally international
support for Baku.

“Azerbaijan counts on the support of the UN and the whole
international community,” the ministry said.