Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 9 / Trend, M.Aliyev /
The hearings on Nagorno Karabakh conflict held at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session have strengthened the just position of Azerbaijan among the Assembly member states, a member of Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, MP Azay Guliyev told Trend Sunday by telephone from Croatia.
"Debate on Nagorno-Karabakh, held at the OSCE PA session can be viewed as a victory of Azerbaijan in the information war. As a result of this debate, OSCE PA Member States once again saw that Armenia is an occupier" - Guliyev said.
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed at the Saturday session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
According to the MP, for the first time open discussions on Nagorno Karabakh have been held at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
"The debate was objective and has fully disclosed the essence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the debate lasting more than three hours, the French co-chair of the Minsk Group Bernard Fassier said in his speech that Azerbaijani territories had been occupied, that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory, and that this territory is controlled by Armenians who, in addition, occupy seven districts more. Fassier's speech was an open message that Armenia is an occupying country", Azay Guliyev said.
According to the MP, the most important aspect of the debate was that the co-chairs presented in details the information on how to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and on its essence.
Guliyev believes the very holding of the debate is a success of the Azerbaijani delegation. He said that the Azerbaijani side has worked for a year to ensure that this debate take place. In particular, special mention can be made of the efforts of Azerbaijani delegation head, Azerbaijani Parliament's Vice-Speaker Bahar Muradova, the MP said.
"Co-chairs hesitated in the public debate and hearings on Nagorno Karabakh. One of the co-chairs even did not want to attend it day before the debate. However, after Azerbaijani delegation had insisted, discussions were held that have fully revealed the essence of the conflict", said Guliyev.
According to him, Bahar Muradova's speech on the conflict was welcomed by Member States and addresses on this issue were made by representatives of 25 countries. In their speeches, they pointed out the truth of the Azerbaijan's position. Among them were representatives of Ukraine, Portugal, Austria, Italy, Kazakhstan, Turkey and other countries.
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.
The delegation of Azerbaijan to the OSCE PA, in addition to Bahar Muradova presented by chairmen of parliamentary committees Rabiyat Aslanova, Eldar Ibrahimov, as well as MPs Fattah Heydarov, Agalar Veliyev and Azay Guliyev.
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