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FM: No one can forcibly change Azerbaijan’s borders

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 24 January 2011 12:41 (UTC +04:00)
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stated that no one can forcibly change the borders of Azerbaijan.
FM: No one can forcibly change Azerbaijan’s borders

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 24 / Trend R.Hafizoglu/

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stated that no one can forcibly change the borders of Azerbaijan.

Baku is ready to negotiate the provision of a high status of autonomy for Nagorno-Karabakh, he said.

"This is the position of Azerbaijan, which is supported by the international community, and no one can forcibly change the country's borders," Mammadyarov said in an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai.

Mammadyarov expressed his regret over the failure of the U.N. General Assembly's four resolutions on Nagorno Karabakh.

"Twenty percent of Azerbaijani territory is under occupation and more than a million people are refugees and IDPs," he said. "All international organizations and major states are making every effort for the de-occupation of Azerbaijani territories. We believe in the return of occupied territories, and we hope that this is possible through diplomatic channels."

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.

"We are not afraid of granting autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh," he said. The principle of autonomy is one aspect of international law and requires certain procedures.

Mammadyarov cited Tatarstan, Chechnya and other Russian regions as examples.

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