Baku, Azerbaijan, May 23
By Emin Aliyev - Trend:
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) takes an unequivocal position on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, PACE president Anne Brasseur said during a meeting of the PACE Standing Committee in Baku on May 23.
"The territorial integrity principle is one of the fundamental values," she said. "We use it towards not only Ukraine's issue but also towards Azerbaijan. PACE and all European organizations must adhere to these values. PACE has already commented on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, passed a resolution and supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."
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.
"Azerbaijan and Ukraine are not the only countries with territorial integrity under a threat. I am talking about all so-called "frozen conflicts" in Europe," she said. "Regarding Ukraine, PACE will again discuss the situation in this country after the presidential and municipal elections."
edited by S.I.