Azerbaijan, Baku, 28 October /Trend, E. Aliyev/
Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden on Wednesday gave an extensive interview to the Swedish Public Radio about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
During the hour-long interview representatives of the Congress pointed out that Azerbaijan is set on a peaceful resolution of conflict, and that there is no deliberate ethnic cleansing carried out against the Armenians, as mentioned previously in a number of Swedish media.
"According to statistics 30,000 Armenians live in Azerbaijan without feeling any discomfort. In addition, there have been cases when Armenian families and soldiers voluntarily crossed the Azerbaijani border" - Congress officials said in an interview with Swedish Radio journalist Glenn Mollergren.
Congress President Emil Mirzoyev complained about unfair and biased approach of the Swedish media to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which often depict Azerbaijan as the aggressor and the enemy of peace talks.
The head of the Congress also reminded the crimes of Armenian armed forces against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic cleansing was carried out against the Azerbaijani population. He also mentioned the millions of refugees who have fled their homes.
Representatives of the Congress also emphasized that despite the demands of the international community and of the four UN resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia still maintains illegally occupied 20% of Azerbaijani territory.
In addition, during the meeting also was denied information of the Armenian community in Sweden that in Azerbaijan, representatives of other religions convert to Islam by force.
"Azerbaijan is one of the most tolerant countries. There are the Orthodox and Catholic churches, and synagogues in Azerbaijan. In addition, the center of Baku is still preserved the Armenian Church, while in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan all mosques and Muslim cemeteries was destroyed by Armenians".
At the end of the interview, the chairman of the Congress called on the Swedish media to give objective and fair assessment of developments in the region, adding that the distortion of information about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in the future could adversely affect the integration of the younger generation of Azerbaijanis in the Swedish society.
The Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden sent a formal letter to the Swedish Public Radio and Swedish Migration Board, expressing protest against the false and fabricated program on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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.