SPEAKER OF AZERBAIJAN PARLIAMENT: ARMENIAN PEOPLE BECOME HOSTAGE OF POLITICAL AMBITIONS OF ARMENIAN DIASPORAS

Trend
March 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Armenian people have become the hostage of political ambitions of
the Armenian diasporas in foreign countries, said the chairman of
the Azerbaijani parliament.

"Azerbaijan attaches great importance to developing relations with key
international organizations, including the OSCE Parliamentary. Our
country is now surely moving towards building a democratic, secular
state and every day strengthens cooperation with different structures
of the organization. Members of the Azerbaijani delegation actively
participate in the activities of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and
we assess it as a positive case. Ignoring the well-known resolutions
and decisions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, adopted by the UN
Security Council and other influential international organizations,
Armenia continues to pursue its aggressive policy," said Speaker of
Azerbaijan Parliament Oktay Asadov at a meeting with a delegation
led by Chairman of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Joao Soares, press
service of the Parliament reported.

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.

The Chairman of the Parliament presented to the attention of guests the
geopolitical position of Azerbaijan in South Caucasus and spoke about
Azerbaijan’s role in the energy security of Europe. "It was stated
that the unresolved conflicts in the region, along with preventing
region’s integration into European structures and its development,
constantly threaten the security of the South Caucasus.

Remembering the events in the region occurred in August 2008,
the Speaker noted to what dangerous consequences can the delay in
resolving such conflicts bring," the statement says.

According to the Chairman of Parliament, Europe must already make its
choice in this regard. "Either to select the development, progress
of the region, or "listen" to the fabrications of the Armenian
lobby. For over 20 years, monuments of culture, clubs, libraries
belonging to Azerbaijan have been destroyed and razed to the ground
in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the international community turns blind eyes
on this that can not be explained. Despite that the OSCE Minsk Group
has been dealing with the solution of problem over the past 18 years,
unfortunately, real results have not been achieved yet. We support
the solution of the conflict under international law based on the
principle of territorial integrity of states," Asadov said.

Despite that Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated its position on this,
Armenia does not want to withdraw from the occupied territory of
a neighboring state. "In this case, naturally the Azerbaijani side
preserves the right to ensure its territorial integrity, using all
possible means. However, we believe that through the efforts of the
OSCE Minsk Group and the world community, the problem will soon find
its fair solution," said Asadov.

Soares said that his organization attaches great importance to
developing relations with the South Caucasus region. He highly
assessed the activities of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation
to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and noted the high professionalism
that the representatives of the Azerbaijani Parliament demonstrate
in the organization.

Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said that he closely got
familiarized with the situation during his visit to the South Caucasus
region and will strengthen his efforts to address the problems of
the region within the organization. Prompt resolution of existing
problems is a requirement of the day in the question of security and
development in the region, said Soares.