Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 18 2009

U.S president will contribute to restoration of global peace by
putting veto on Senate’s decision: Azerbaijani Deputy Speaker

Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 18 / Trend News K.Zarbaliyeva /

Azerbaijani Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova expressed hope
that the U.S. president will demonstrate its contribution to
restoration of peace and security worldwide by putting veto on the U.S
Senate’s decision.

"We will see how Barack Obama is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize," she
told journalists.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate approved a bill on
the general appropriations for the 2010 fiscal year, according to
which assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh will be allocated to the amount
of $8 million. Any restrictions on the implementation of programs in
Karabakh have been removed.

According to Muradova, at the current stage of negotiations, the U.S.
Senate’s decision on the allocation of aid to the Nagorno-Karabakh
encourages the separatist regime and allows it not to not give up.

"This step inspires the separatist regime. Instead of condemning the
aggressor, this creates the conditions for its development. Although
it is not military assistance, the allocated funds will help the
separatists of the Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia to strengthen the
military sphere," Muradova said.

"The U.S. Congress’s decision does not meet the spirit of the
US-Azerbaijan cooperation," she added.

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.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. General Assembly’s
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.