Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 13 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territory damages the image of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Political Innovation and Technology Center head Mubariz Ahmadoglu told Trend today.
Ahmadoglu said Armenia's attempts in recent years to increase its arms base also confirm Yerevan's intention to continue the occupation.
CSTO member states will hold a two-day informal summit in Yerevan Aug. 20.
The presidents of CSTO member states are expected to hold informal meetings and working discussions during the summit.
The summit will focus on regional security issues.
"Armenia hopes that CSTO member states will protect its stance at the summit," Ahmadoglu said. "But the organization has repeatedly stated that it is impossible to interfere in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and also that if the war is renewed, the CSTO will not pressure Azerbaijan, as the Nagorno-Karabakh is a territory of Azerbaijan."
According to the Article 51 of the UN Charter, Azerbaijan has the right to liberate its territory from occupation, he added.
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 seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.