Details were added (first version was posted at 21:00)
France, Strasbourg, June 20 /Trend, A.Maharramli/
A meeting of the PACE ad hoc committee on Nagorno-Karabakh was conducted on the first working day of the PACE summer session, the chairman of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov said.
"Today we witnessed a very important event in the Council of Europe. A meeting of the PACE ad hoc committee on Nagorno-Karabakh was conducted. The ad hoc committee started its work with the participation of the Azerbaijani delegation, including me and Sabir Hajiyev, as well as the representatives of several political parties, rapporteurs on Armenia and representatives of the PACE Secretariat. However, the Armenian delegation refused to attend the meeting," Seyidov said.
Seyidov said non-participation of the Armenian side in the work of the ad hoc committee will not create problems to anyone, but themselves.
"The work of this ad hoc committee testifies that with its help, the Council of Europe is beginning to see who on what position is. Today, Armenia demonstrated its position. In the future, their presence or absence at the committee will not make much difference. I think it would be better if they are absent. We have a position on our part, the issues and topics to discuss with them. Their absence will not create problems to anyone, but themselves. The topic of the negotiation process on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is under the direct supervision of the Foreign Minister and President of Azerbaijan. However, seeing such a position in the Council of Europe on the eve of Armenian President's visit to this structure, I, as an MP, do not believe that the Armenian side will act with a constructive position during the negotiations. A party wishing to demonstrate a constructive position would participate in the work of the ad hoc committee and exchange views," said the MP.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988when 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 U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.