Astana, Kazakhstan, May 29
By Daniyar Mukhtarov - Trend:
While appealing to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Astana on May 29, President Nazarbayev asked him to comply with the UN principles concerning the officially fixed boundaries while joining the Customs Union.
"If all trade issues are resolved, it is necessary for the Armenian president to resolve one issue that you join the Customs Union as part of the UN-recognized borders of Armenia," Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev added.
He said that this issue must be discussed by all parties in June.
"The presidents of the three countries received an appeal from the Azerbaijani side urging Armenia to join with a stipulation that the provisions of the WTO and Customs Union must be used within its borders recognized by the international law," the president added.
It was previously reported that Armenia will be the first country to be able to join Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia within the Customs Union.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also show willingness to join these countries in the Eurasian Economic Union. Their joining is scheduled between now and July 1, 2014. The agreement on Armenia's joining the Customs Union is planned to be signed by June 15, 2014.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding 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.