RAMIZ MEHDIYEV: WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH, 20,000 ARMENIANS LIVE IN AZERBAIJAN, WHILE THERE IS NO AZERBAIJANI IN ARMENIA

APA
Jan 22 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. "The solution to Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is very important for the development of the region," head
of Azerbaijan’s Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev said while
addressing I Azerbaijan-Russia Forum on Humanitarian Cooperation in
Baku, APA reports.

Mentioning that OSCE foreign ministers issued a statement on the
settlement of the conflict in Athens, Ramiz Mehdiyev said the document
noted the importance of solving the conflict basing on the principle
of the territorial integrity and underlined that for the first time
Armenia admitted it and signed the document.

Mehdiyev called on the Russian media to be professional while writing
about Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"Writing about the history of the conflict, read the letter of
the Russian diplomat Alexander Griboyedov to the emperor. Writing
about the Armenians deported from Iran and Turkey to Azerbaijan, the
diplomat says the Azerbaijanis fear that the Armenians will stay in
these territories forever," he said.

Touching on the Russian media reports that Nagorno Karabakh was
presented to Azerbaijan by Stalin, Ramiz Mehdiyev said the truth was
quite to the contrary.

"In fact, Yerevan was presented to Armenia under pressures. Armenia
said it would not have territorial claims against Azerbaijan, but
it was not so. Actually, Borchali was also presented to Georgia by
Stalin," he said.

According to Ramiz Mehdiyev, with the exception of Nagorno Karabakh,
20,000 Armenians live in Azerbaijan, while there is no Azerbaijani in
the present Armenia, which was the historical land of Azerbaijanis. He
once more underlined that Nagorno Karabakh conflict could be solved
only within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.