Azerbaijan, Baku, March 31 / Trend S. Agayeva /
The Azerbaijani Permanent Mission to the UN exposed Armenian media as a liar. Armenian media spread the information about Ara Harutyunyan's visit to the UN headquarters on November 18, 2009 and meetings held with officials of the international organization. Harutyunyan represents himself as Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
After the Azerbaijani Permanent Mission conducted the investigation, it received an official response from the relevant structures of the organization. It says that no permits were given for Ara Harutyunyan to enter the UN headquarters, and he did not participate in meetings and hold formal meetings, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said with reference to Permanent Mission.
It is not ruled out that Harutyunyan, having a document of Armenian citizen, visited the UN as a tourist or a student due to the fact that a part of the organization's headquarters is open for tourists, the message said.
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 resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.