BAKU NOT SEES PROSPECTS FOR RECOGNITION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH BEYOND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN: FOREIGN MINISTRY

Trend News Agency
Aug 25 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 August/ TrendNews, corr R. Novruzov/ The official
Baku does not see any prospects of recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh
beyond the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

"The independence of Nagorno-Karabakh should be recognized only within
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," Khazar Ibrahim, spokesman
for the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan said to media on 25 August.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan 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 the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

The leadership of the self-declared ‘ Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’
intends to follow the example of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and to
appeal Council of Federation of Russia to recognize its independence.

On 25 August, the Upper Chamber of the Russian parliament unanimously
voted for the appeal to the Russian President to recognize the
independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Vesti TV channel of
Russia reported. The speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Russian
parliament Sergey Mironov stated that " South Ossetia and Abkhazia
has all grounds for the recognition of their independence".

Presidents of self-declared republics Eduard Kokoity and Sergey Bagapsh
told the Council that the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have
a right to be recognized than Kosovo. "We have more political and
legal grounds foe recognition (of independence) than Kosovo".