Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 23 /Trend, M.Aliyev/
The Declaration adopted at the NATO Lisbon summit strengthens Azerbaijan's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, vice speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Bahar Muradova said Tuesday in an interview to website of ruling New Azerbaijan Party.
"The support for the territorial integrity reflected in the declaration adopted at the NATO summit in Lisbon assumes great importance," said Muradova.
The NATO summit held in Lisbon on Nov.19-20 once again approved the point of the adopted declaration, reflecting the position of the alliance, supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in the context of the conflict.
The persistence of protracted regional conflicts in South Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova continues to be a matter of great concern for the Alliance, the 35th point of the Alliance's Lisbon Summit Declaration says. "We call on [all parties] to avoid steps that undermine regional security and stability. NATO remains committed in our support of the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova, and will also continue to support efforts towards a peaceful settlement of these regional conflicts, taking into account these principles, the declaration stressed.
According to Muradova, along with NATO, a number of international organizations have also adopted documents supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
"The two OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries are members of NATO - France and the USA. Active initiatives of other co-chair - Russia - are obvious. I think that if the co-chairs remain committed to their positions and demonstrate adherence, the Astana summit of the OSCE can take a serious decision on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," said Muradova.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.