Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.29
Trend:
Azerbaijan will continue to support the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations, the country's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said, addressing the Peacekeeping Summit in New York, US, Sept.29, according to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
Mammadyarov said that however, in order to ensure peace and stability, peacekeeping operations are not enough.
For this purpose, the states need to fulfill their obligations under the international law, in particular those related to the respect for independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty, the foreign minister added.
Mammadyarov noted that Azerbaijan supports the UN peacekeeping operations as one of the important mechanisms for maintaining peace and security in the world.
He also added that Azerbaijan, which has undergone military aggression, occupation and ethnic cleansing by neighboring Armenia, is committed to creating peace and security based on the international norms and principles.
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.
Edited by SI