Trend, Azerbaijan
July 10 2009

Azerbaijani top official disagrees with the U.S. issuing funds to
Nagorno-Karabakh regime

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 10 /Trend News, A.Huseynbala/

The head of an Azerbaijani presidential administration department
considers the United States issuing $10 million to the separatist
Nagorno-Karabakh regime as wrong.

"It is regrettable that the U.S. Congress has decided to allocate $10
million to the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh regime," said the Head of
the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration International Relations
Department, Novruz Mammadov, in his interview with the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party’s (NAP) website on July 10.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Novruzov said Azerbaijan has repeatedly faced such injustice. "Our
country does not see an adequate response in return for cooperation
with the West. Unfortunately, we have not seen a fair position from
the West in return for our sincere cooperation since we gained
independence. But there is a positive attitude towards Armenia. The
907th amendment is an injust decision," the head of the department
said.

Novruzov commented that it is wrong that the U.S. have allocated $10
million to the separatist regime. "If this is humanitarian aid, then I
want to note that it is necessary to give it to the people who were
left homeless, and the number of which exceeds the number of people
currently living in Nagorno-Karabakh. If the U.S. wants to prove that
they are just, they must take into account the people who have become
internally displaced persons as a result of the aggression," he said.