ARMENIA SHOULD COMPENSATE DAMAGES INFLICTED AS A RESULT OF OCCUPATION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH: IRANIAN AMBASSADOR
TREND News Agency
Aug 20 2007
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend I.Alizade / Armenia should compensate
damages inflicted as a result of occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the
districts surrounding it, said the Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan,
Nasir Hamidi Zari, on 20 August in Baku.
According to the Ambassador, Iran recognizes the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan and this official position of Tehran remains unchanged. "
Azerbaijan is neighbors with Iran and is a Muslim country," the
diplomat said.
The Ambassador stated that Iran requires that all conditions should
be created to release the occupied Azerbaijani land and return
internally displaced persons to their native land soon. " Armenia
should understand that by realizing its ambition, it is violating the
rights of people who are forced to live in confinement. Otherwise, the
democracy that we speak of changes its essence," the Ambassador said.
Hamidi Zari said that he will refuse the proposal to visit Azerbaijan’s
occupied territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988
due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these
territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. 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.