AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY HOLDS RALLY IN FRONT OF U.S EMBASSY
Trend
Dec 22 2009
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan’s opposition party held a rally in front of the U.S embassy
in Baku.
The rally is aimed to protest the U.S Congress’s decision to allocate
$8 million to the Nagorno-Karabakh separatist regime, the Modern
Musavat Party told Trend News.
Despite the policemen interference, the protesters voiced slogans
"America do not cdamage relations with Azerbaijan ", "Do not support
the invader Armenians", "Do not arm the Armenian separatists",
"U.S avoid the double standards policy", "No to the separatist
Karabakh regime".
The police arrested some protesters and they were released after they
were questioned at the police department.
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.
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.