Azerbaijan, Baku, May 20 / Trend A. Huseynbala /
New Azerbaijan Party sent a letter of protest in connection with the "parliamentary elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh to OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen.
New Azerbaijan Party sent a letter of protest in connection with the intention of the separatist regime to hold the parliamentary elections in Nagorno-Karabakh May 23 to OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, the ruling party said.
The letter states that there is no need to prove that the holding of elections in the occupied territory by separatist regime recognized by nobody is contrary to the principles and norms of the international law and can not be considered legitimate.
"The existence of the separatist regime, not recognized by any country in the world and the international organization, is a direct result of the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia. We regret to note that despite the four well-known resolutions of the UN Security Council, decisions of CE and OSCE, the efforts of the Minsk Group, aggressor Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani territories more than 20 years, " the ruling party said.
The election campaign organized by the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh is really nothing but an attempt to give legitimacy to the illegal creation before the international community, the letter said.
"It should be noted that this action is direct aggression against the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Now it seriously hampers the peace talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and does not serve a good purpose," the letter said.
The letter states that elections held by a fictitious regime will have a negative impact on the negotiation process to resolve the conflict. It was stressed that Azerbaijani ruling party categorically condemns "the elections". It considers these actions a serious obstacle to the negotiation process and looks forward to an objective assessment of this issue by the OSCE Minsk group.
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.
Azerbaijani ruling party was founded in 1992 by national leader Heydar Aliyev, when he was chairman of the Supreme Mejlis of Nakhchivan. Now President Ilham Aliyev has been heading the party for 16 years.