Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.25
By Azad Hasanli - Trend:
Azerbaijan is concerned about the weak participation of the European Union (EU) in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev said on Feb.25.
He made the remarks during an event dedicated to Latvia's presidency in EU Council.
Mammadguliyev said that there are various conflicts in the member states of EU Eastern Partnership program, especially, in Ukraine and Moldova, however, EU has a selective approach to these conflicts which dissatisfies Azerbaijan.
"Sanctions were imposed immediately during the conflict in Crimea, while a number of projects are implemented in Nagorno-Karabakh and the separatist regime is supported there," he said.
The deputy foreign minister added that EU should take measures to push Armenia to withdraw from Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Mammadguliyev said that EU should support the settlement of conflicts and contribute to their settlement within the territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders.
He added that Azerbaijan has repeatedly raised this issue, however, no results have been achieved so far.
"If EU deeply studied the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and showed interest in this issue, today we likely wouldn't witness the conflict in Ukraine," he said.
Edited by SI
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli