AZERBAIJAN SENDS LETTER OF PROTEST TO UN SECRETARY GENERAL

Today.Az

Sept 18 2009
Azerbaijan

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Ambassador
Agshin Mehdiyev has sent a letter of protest to the UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon, Azerbaijan’s Permanent Mission to the UN said.

The letter reads: "According to mass media reports, in early
September President Serzh Sargsyan of the Republic of Armenia
visited the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
purpose of the visit was to participate in the events organized on
the occasion of "independence day" of the self-declared separatist
entity illegally established by Armenia in the occupied territories
of Azerbaijan. Simultaneously, Minister for Foreign Affairs Edward
Nalbandian of the Republic of Armenia and accompanying high-ranking
Armenian diplomats visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as
part of the annual meeting of heads of diplomatic missions of Armenia.

My Government considers the aforementioned visits to the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan and bellicose rhetoric as an open challenge
to the ongoing efforts towards the soonest political settlement of the
conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In fact, Armenia undertook
yet another attempt to justify its annexation policy and mislead the
international community by means of blatant distortion of facts as to
the origin and essence of the ethnically established puppet separatist
entity which the world declines to recognize.

The ritualistic visit of the high-ranking officials and diplomats of
Armenia to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to commemorate the
events, which became a starting point of large-scale war between the
two States and caused incalculable human sufferings, testifies that
Armenia fails to fulfill its most basic and compelling responsibilities
and gives preference to escalation with unpredictable consequences.

It is essential to recall, in this regard, that the Security Council
has consistently reaffirmed both sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan and inadmissibility of use of force for the acquisition
of territory. It has also recognizes that Nagorny Karabakh is part
of Azerbaijan and has called on a number of occasions for immediate,
full and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from all
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Further, the General Assembly
directly reaffirmed in resolution 62/243 of 14 March, 2008, entitled
"The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan", continued
respect and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders as a basis
for the settlement of the conflict.

The Republic of Armenia must realize that, for its own good and in
the interests of lasting peace, stability and mutually beneficial
cooperation in the region, there is n o alternative other than solving
the conflict based on respect for the territorial integrity and
inviolability of internationally recognizes borders. The Republic of
Azerbaijan will never accept a solution compromising its territorial
integrity, ignoring the rights of its people and legalizing the
current status quo.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated
as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 13 and 18,
and of the Security Council."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress