Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.26
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
Armenia aims to harm the negotiation process on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by taking various provocative steps, in particular, by escalating the tension on the contact line of the troops and along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.
He made the remarks during the meeting with Armenia's Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in New York, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
The meeting was held as part of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.
Mammadyarov said that Armenia's true purpose is to continue the aggression and occupation.
Armenia by all means hinders the contacts between Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, while this could allow to create genuine trust, Mammadyarov added.
He reiterated Azerbaijan's strong position on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The foreign minister emphasized the inadmissibility of the current status quo based on the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, adding that this can't last long.
Azerbaijan will never accept the occupation of its territories, said Mammadyarov.
The foreign minister noted that in order the resolve the conflict, Armenia should put an end to aggression against Azerbaijan and withdraw its armed forces from the occupied territories.
"Azerbaijan participates in the negotiation process for resolving the conflict," he said. "But if Armenia doesn't withdraw from the occupied lands, Azerbaijan will take all necessary steps to restore its territorial integrity, sovereignty and ensure the inviolability of its borders."
As an aggressor and occupier, Armenia will be fully responsible for any step to be taken, he added.
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.
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