Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.30
Trend:
The unresolved or protracted conflicts represent a serious threat to the security and stability of Europe, said Azay Guliyev, Azerbaijani MP, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) vice-president.
He made the remarks during the 48th General Assembly of PABSEC (Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation) in Belgrade Nov.30.
“As you all know, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova have been impacted by unresolved conflicts, disrupting the lives of dozens of thousands of people at times with tragic and painful consequences,” said Guliyev.
He pointed out that there are no quick and easy fixes to these issues, but it is clear that an inclusive approach in the spirit of the Helsinki Final Act must be developed.
“I strongly believe that parliamentary diplomacy, confidence building and dialogue have an essential role to play in the search for solutions to all conflicts in the OSCE region,” said Guliyev, adding that in this regard, the Resolution on "Adherence to the Helsinki Principles in inter-state relations across the OSCE area" passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Helsinki in 2015 is highly important.
He added that in this resolution OSCE PA urges settlement of the conflicts, including those affecting the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova, based on the norms and principles of international law, in particular those relating to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of the states concerned.
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.