Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 23 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /
Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan has become the biggest obstacle to regional development and integration into Europe, Azerbaijani official Ziyafat Asgarov said in Baku on Friday.
"Several international organizations, including UN, OSCE, CE adopted documents that require the return of Azerbaijani occupied lands," he said. "The enforcement of these decisions would lead to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, the restoration of state sovereignty throughout the country, the return of refugees and IDPs to their homes and the restoration of neighborly relations between our two nations."
He said Azerbaijan's position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is fair and based on international norms and principles.
"Unfortunately, the relevant decisions of international organizations have not been enforced yet," he said. "The Minsk Group's activity has not justified expectations. Armenia's destructive position in the negotiation process poses a threat of resuming the war."
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.