US Renders Assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh Separatist Regime: Azerbaijani MP

Azerbaijan, Baku, 13 August / Trend corr. R.Novruzov / The United States is the one country where the Parliament renders assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh separatist regime, Gultakin Hajiyeva, Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijani standing Parliamentary Commission on International Relations and Parliamentary Ties and member of Azerbaijani Delegation to PACE, said.

"Since getting independence we understood that the United States differs from the country that we idealized initially," Hajiyeva said.

The United States had not cancelled the 907th amendment so far and attempts to calm Azerbaijan by holding moratorium.

According to Hajiyeva, the United States and Azerbaijan are strategic partners. "Compared to other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the United States is preferred partner for Azerbaijan," Hajiyeva stated.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan lost the control over Nagorno- Karabakh (excluding Shusha and Khojali) to December 1991. Shusha, Khojali and seven regions had been occupied. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by USA, Russia, France is engaged in peace settling of the conflict.