Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 12
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Nobody can dictate terms to Azerbaijan, Ziyafat Asgarov, the first deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliament, told reporters Nov. 12.
He made the remarks commenting on Azerbaijan's possible accession to the Eurasian Economic Union in exchange for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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.
"Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that no one can dictate its terms to it," Asgarov said. "Azerbaijan has the right to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Which organizations the country will cooperate with and in what form is another question. If cooperation is in our national interests, this matter may be considered."
Russia should be the most interested country in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as it remained from the times of the Soviet Union, the legal successor of which is the Russian Federation, the first deputy chairman said.
He made the remarks commenting on the statement of the Russian foreign minister in Yerevan regarding Moscow's desire to enhance its role in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He also expressed regret at the lack of results so far to resolve the conflict.
If Russia wants to resolve the conflict, it is good, according to him. But Azerbaijan wants the conflict to be settled completely, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts to be restored, Asgarov said.