ARMENIA MAKES CHEAP PR CAMPAIGN: AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 14 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr.ÊRamazanova / Khazar Ibrahim, the
Press-Secretary of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, stated that the
Armenian attempt to promote ‘development’ in the Azerbaijani occupied
territories is a cheap publicity stunt, commenting on the information
about recent visits of American, Canadian, French, Austrian, German,
and Russian citizens to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Armenian sources reported that about 2,000 foreign citizens visited
the conflicted area between January and July 2007. This figure is up
60% more than the same period in 2006.

"The visit of foreign citizens to Nagorno-Karabakh is being
implemented through the support of the Armenian Diaspora. They cannot
demonstrate development in the Azerbaijani occupied territories,"
the Press-Secretary of the Ministry stated.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian claims to Azerbaijani territories. Since
1992, Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijani land including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding Districts. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France, and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

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