Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.29
Trend:
The opening of a kindergarten in Armenia in the occupied Zangilan district of Azerbaijan, which occurred on the eve of the anniversary of its occupation and against the background of the meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris, is provocative.
The acting head of the press service of the Azerbaijani foreign ministry Hikmet Hajiyev made the remarks Oct.29 in connection with the information of the Armenian media about the opening of a kindergarten.
"The Armenians never lived on the territory of Zangilan occupied by Armenian armed forces October 29, 1993," said the statement. "These steps confirm the policy of annexation of the occupied territories by Armenia."
Carrying out these activities on the occupied territories contradicts the Geneva convention of 1949 and the additional protocols thereto, he said.
The UN Security Council resolution from November 11, 1993 condemns the occupation of Goradiz settlement of Zangilan district of Azerbaijan and demands the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from these territories.
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 U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.