By Ilhama Isabalayeva – Trend:
The issue of liberation of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories should be raised in any discussions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani MP Asim Mollazade told Trend.
He assessed the recent statement by former US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick, as positive. Warlick recently said the conflict resolution is impossible without respect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.
MP Mollazade noted that the norms of international law on the conflict resolution were flagrantly violated.
“Peace is possible after four UN Security Council resolutions are implemented,” according to him. “The path to peace lies through the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories.”
On Oct. 19, James Warlick addressed a briefing on “Averting All-Out War in Nagorno-Karabakh: The Role of the US and OSCE”, organized by the US Congress Helsinki Commission. He noted that six elements, based on the Madrid Principles, should be an integral part of the peace agreement and be accepted as one package.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
