KHAZAR IBRAHIM: "AZERBAIJAN FULFILLS ALL PRINCIPLES OF THE HELSINKI FINAL ACT"

Azeri Press Agency
July 14 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. "Azerbaijan fulfills all principles of
the OSCE Helsinki Final Act, but Armenia, on the contrary, rejects it",
Khazar Ibrahim, press-secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
told journalists, APA reports.

Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian stated that the
negotiations over the solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict are
held on the basis of Article 2, 4 and 8 of the Helsinki Final Act,
but Azerbaijan reports on the negotiations on its own desire. Reacting
to the Nalbandian’s statement, Khazar Ibrahim reminded about those
articles. "It is said in the Article 2 that the participating
States will refrain from any acts constituting a threat of force
or direct or indirect use of force against another participating
State. Everyone knows that Armenia is acting against this Article and
used force to occupy the territory of other state. On the other hand,
with this statement Nalbandian directly acknowledged that not any
forces in Nagorno Karabakh, as they claim it, but just Armenia is an
occupier. Azerbaijan never threatened anyone by the force. We simply
say that we will restore our internationally-recognized borders and
territorial integrity".

Khazar Ibrahim said Article 4 of the Helsinki Final Act was about
the territorial integrity of the countries. "The participating
States will likewise refrain from making each other’s territory the
object of military occupation or other direct or indirect measures
of force in contravention of international law, or the object of
acquisition by means of such measures or the threat of them, said in
the document. Nalbandian and his country should fulfill these points
in practice. A self-determination right, they frequently decline,
was reflected in Article 8. It is clearly said in the document that
the participating States will respect the equal rights of peoples and
their right to self-determination, acting at all times in conformity
just with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations and with the relevant norms of international law, including
those relating to territorial integrity of States". Khazar Ibrahim
once more stated that Azerbaijan was loyal to the principles of
Helsinki Final Act and international law.