Baku, Azerbaijan, May 1
Trend:
The acts of some marginal political faces, calling themselves "observers" at the illegal " parliamentary elections" in Azerbaijan's territories occupied by Armenia, will be regarded as a gross violation of Azerbaijani laws, said Hikmet Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry's spokesman, May 1.
He added that the launch of criminal cases against those persons isn't ruled out.
Hajiyev noted that operative-search measures are underway with respect to a citizen of Slovakia, Frantisek Miklosko, and he is wanted by Interpol for a similar act.
He said the holding of the illegal "parliamentary elections" by the illegal regime, created in the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, is a grave violation of the Azerbaijani constitution, laws and international legal norms and principles.
"The corresponding statement was made by the country's foreign ministry on February 27, 2015," he said, adding that Azerbaijan's constitution and its laws are a basis for the legitimate expression of will through elections on the country's territory.
"Ignoring the OSCE Minsk Group's call to start the work on the great peace agreement, Armenia carries out provocations calling them "elections", which is aimed at creating obstacles to the negotiation process and at concealing the fact of occupation and aggression against Azerbaijan," he stressed.
"The world community condemns these illegal "elections" and expresses support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders," Hajiyev added. "The OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairs, in their statement on April 30, reiterated that they don't recognize the so-called elections."
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.