Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 19 / Trend R. Hafizoglu /
The U.S Congress's decision to allocate $8 million to the Nagorno-Karabakh separatist regime is evident to the U.S double standards policy, Leader of the Azerbaijani opposition party Etibar Mammadov believes.
"Of course, Azerbaijan should press on the U.S in connection with this aid," Leader of the Azerbaijan National Independence Party (ANIP) Mammadov said at the meeting with journalists today. "The U.S pursues double standards towards Azerbaijan."
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate approved a bill on the general appropriations for the 2010 fiscal year, according to which assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh will be allocated to the amount of $8 million. Any restrictions on the implementation of programs in Karabakh have been removed.
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. General Assembly's resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.
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