Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 28 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Baku believes if the Armenian Parliament recognizes the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan will once again demonstrate that it is one of the parties to the conflict.
"If the Armenian parliament adopts a bill recognizing the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh or its joining Armenia, it will once again show that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a work of an ethnic and separatist regime - the Armenian government acts as a party to the conflict. In this case, Azerbaijan will speak at the international arena in the light of this fact," Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's Social and Political Department Head Ali Hasanov told journalists on Thursday.
The political consultations on the draft law on "Recognition of Nagorno Karabakh" held with the participation of the Armenian Parliamentary Speaker on Oct. 27 ended without result. The opposition parliamentary faction, which prepared the bill, plans to bring it to a vote, if no agreement is reached on the bill on Thursday.
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.