Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 14 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /
The Jewish communities may more actively defend Azerbaijan's just cause on resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hidayat Orujov, chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations, said at a meeting with a delegation led by Richard Stone, Chairman of the National Conference for the Jews in Russia, Ukraine, Baltic States and Eurasia (NCSJ).
"The Republic of Armenia, being a mono-ethnic country alien to culture of tolerance, continues its occupation policy in the territory of Azerbaijan - Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. This country still holds Azerbaijani lands under the occupation. The world community, especially the Jewish communities, may defend the just cause of Azerbaijan to resolve this problem more actively, " he 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 four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.