Baku, Azerbaijan, July 5
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva – Trend:
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) has expressed concern over the military escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and urged to fully respect the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The Tbilisi declaration adopted by the OSCE PA July 5 includes the paragraph #9, which stresses “the persisting need for enhanced efforts to settle protracted conflicts in the OSCE area in a peaceful and negotiated manner, refraining from threat or use of force, in full respect of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the participant states, and in full compliance with the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.”
The paragraph was included in the resolution as an amendment made by the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA and approved by Margareta Cederfelt, Swedish MP and keynote speaker at the OSCE General Committee on Political Affairs and Security.
“The OSCE PA welcomes the active engagement of the OSCE Chairmanship in finding a political solution to protracted conflicts in the OSCE region within established negotiating formats and mechanisms,” read the paragraph #47 of the Tbilisi declaration.
“The OSCE PA calls upon parliamentarians to encourage political will from the sides in the region to engage in serious efforts to reach an agreement on confidence building-measures to reduce the risk for further hostilities along the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and to negotiate a comprehensive settlement within the framework of the Minsk Group,” said the paragraph #48 of the Tbilisi declaration.
Meanwhile, the paragraph #49 of the Tbilisi declaration said the OSCE PA calls for stronger political will in addressing the issue of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as greater commitment and swifter implementation of signed agreements, and reaffirms the inalienable right of the populations of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine displaced as a result of conflict to return to their homes in safety and with dignity.
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.