MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
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PRESS RELEASE
28 October 2004

Hamlet Gasparian, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
answers a question by Armenpress News Agency In Relation to
Azerbaijan’s New Initiative in the UN

Question: Yesterday Azerbaijan raised an issue of “Current Situation
in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan” in the UN. How would you
comment on this move?

Answer: Indeed, this issue has been raised in the UN General Committee.
While it has not enjoyed any significant support, it has received
9 pro and 14 abstained votes from 28 member states. The countries
that voted in support of the issue included mostly members of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Ukraine.

We view Azerbaijan’s move as yet another attempt to divert the
attention of the international community from the core issue of the
conflict, i.e. the status of Nagorno Karabagh.

We should also note that in a statement made on behalf of OSCE Minsk
Group, France’s representative stated that the UN General Assembly is
not an appropriate forum for discussing this issue. He further noted
that Azerbaijan’s move to introduce a new item on the negotiations
agenda might have a detrimental impact on the peaceful regulation
process.