Ambassador: UNHCR to get acquainted with condition of Azerbaijani refugees

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 20 /Trend, S. Agayeva/

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres will get familiarized with the condition of the Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons driven from the native lands as a result of the Armenian aggression.

Guterres is expected to visit Azerbaijan on May 17-19, Murad Najafbayli, Azerbaijan's ambassador to Switzerland and permanent envoy to the UN Geneva Office, reported on Wednesday.

During his visit, the UN High Commissioner will get familiarized with what steps the Government of Azerbaijan takes to improve the living condition of refugees and internally displaced persons, the diplomat said.

There are about 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan as a result of the Armenian aggression. The Azerbaijani State, together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has been making acts to improve the condition of refugees and internally displaced persons since 1993.

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.

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