NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY CALLS ON OSCE MINSK GROUP’S CO-CHAIRMEN TO IMPACT ARMENIA
Trend News Agency
juNE 20, 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 27 June /Trend News corr I. Alizade/ The head
of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh Nizami Bahmanov
calls on OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairmen to impact Armenia to settle
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group must
direct Armenia to fulfil the requirements of the Resolution on the
situation in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan which was passed
at the UN General Assembly," Bahmanov said to Trend News on 27 June.
On 14 March, 2008, UN General Assembly passed an Azerbaijan-presented
Resolution on the situation in the occupied territory of
Azerbaijan. The document urges for immediate, full and unconditional
withdrawal of Armenia’s forces from all occupied territories of
Azerbaijan.
On 26 June, Minsk Group co-chairmen’s visit to the region
began. On 27 June, they met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov. They will visit Armenia and onwards Nagorno-Karabakh.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The sides are still holding peaceful but fruitless
negotiations.
OSCE Minsk Group, co-chairmen of which are USA, Russia and France,
is mediating in peace settlement of the conflict.
Bahmanov said the limit to extent time by Minsk Group has expired. He
said Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh opposes Minks Group
co-chairmen’s visit to Nagorno-Karabakh. "Armenian community
of Nagorno-Karabakh has no lever to impact the negotiation
process. Therefore, Minks Group co-chairs’ visit to the occupied
territory of Azerbaijan has no importance. These visits show that
Russia is still sticking to its former position and they are of
manipulation character," said Bahmanov.