AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL CALL ON CO-CHAIR COUNTRIES TO EXERT PRESSURE ON ARMENIA

Trend
Feb 12 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani First Deputy Speaker Ziyafat Asgarov called on OSCE MG
co-chair countries to exert pressure on Armenia.

"The OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries- the U.S, France and Russia
to pressure on Armenia, so that negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict to take place within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,"
he said at today’s parliamentary meeting.

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. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

He said otherwise, as the Azerbaijani President said, it will be
impossible to avoid other solution to the problem.

"The Armenian Constitutional Court’s amendments to the protocols
signed between Turkey and Armenia, has once again confirmed that the
country is not interested in achieving peace in the region," he said.

"However, it is expected to submit the issue of contrived "Armenian
genocide" for the Congress’ discussion Feb.24, without taking into
account Yerevan’s position."

He said the U.S. Congress should bring the question of the Khojali
genocide to the discussion.

"As there are no facts confirming the so-called "Armenian genocide ".

But, there are a lot of the facts confirming the Khojali genocide,"
he added.

The Armenian troops committed genocide in Khojali on Feb. 26, 1992.

The tragedy began early morning. Within hours, over 613 unarmed
Azerbaijani citizens were killed and among them were 106 women and 83
children. About 1,000 people were disabled by shots; eight families
were fully destroyed. A total of 25 children lost both of their
parents and 130 children lost one of them. About 1,275 people were
taken prisoner and around 150 people went missing. Eight families
were completely killed.