Azerbaijan , Baku, June 21 / Trend, M. Aliyev /
Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh before 1992 and their children may be eligible for Azerbaijani citizenship, the head of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh region Bayram Safarov told journalists.
"If the Armenians who initially lived in Nagorno-Karabakh respect Azerbaijani laws, then they will also be able to become Azerbaijani citizens", Safarov said.
He said that Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh who have received an identity card from local agencies are in possession of fake documents; such an ID card can be issued only by the Azerbaijani Government.
"Armenians initially registered in Azerbaijan are more willing to live in Azerbaijan. I am sure that ordinary Armenians are waiting for the day when we will return there", Safarov said.
He urged the Armenians, who were former Azerbaijani citizens, to support the policy pursued by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Safarov stressed that after the presidents' meeting in Kazan he expects a fair resolution of the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation.
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 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.