Trend News Agency (Baku, Azerbaijan) August 1, 2018 Wednesday Baku urges OSCE states to demand Armenia withdraw occupation troops Aug. 01--On the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, Azerbaijan urges all OSCE Member States to demand in a firm and unequivocal manner from Armenia to comply with its obligations under the Helsinki Final Act and other international legal instruments, cease use of force against Azerbaijan and withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said in a statement Aug. 1. "Helsinki Final Act was adopted on August 1, 1975 within the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). Helsinki Final Act established 10 fundamental principles (the 'Decalogue') governing especially the behavior of states towards each other and served for maintenance of peace and security in Europe. In January 1992, the Republic of Azerbaijan joined CSCE. Since then Azerbaijan remains fully committed to its obligations under the Helsinki Final Act," the statement says. It is also noted in the statement that the principle of the non-use of force in the Helsinki Final Act implies a prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force. "In the Helsinki Final Act, the principle of the non-use of force is explicitly linked to the inadmissibility of changing the boundaries of states through violent means and implies a prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force. For this very purpose, the Helsinki Final Act expanded Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and codified the territorial integrity, the inviolability of frontiers and the non-use of force as separate principles to emphasize the norm of territorial integrity. These principles were reaffirmed in the Helsinki Final Act in a way to emphasize that they are consequential principles generated by the foundational norm of territorial integrity," Hajiyev said. He noted that as the OSCE member state, the Republic of Armenia in blatant violation of its commitments under the Helsinki Final Act, by use of force occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan. "Armenia conducted notorious ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijani civilian population in the seized lands. Illegal presence of armed forces of Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is the continuation of Armenia's use of force and threat of force policy against Azerbaijan. In order to disguise its illegal actions, especially use of force and threat of force against territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, attempts of annexation of Azerbaijan's occupied territories and forceful expulsion of civilian Azerbaijani population from their native lands, Armenia by all means tries to distort the principles of equal rights and self-determination enshrined in Helsinki Final Act," the statement reads. Hajiyev noted that as established in the relevant OSCE document of 1995, Helsinki Final Act along with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions constitute the basis of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs' mandate. "In accordance with the principles of Helsinki Final Act, Azerbaijan will ensure its territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders," Hajiyev said. 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.