Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 26
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Kyrgyzstan has supported an article of the declaration adopted at the 13th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Islamabad March 1 regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Pakistani media reported Dec. 26.
Kyrgyzstan has recently sent a diplomatic note to the ECO Secretariat about the country’s joining the articles of the final statement of the ECO summit, according to the report.
This means that Kyrgyzstan supports the declaration’s article on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its settlement within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
In the declaration, heads of the ECO member countries express concern that the unresolved conflicts in the ECO area, particularly the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, hamper economic development and realization of the region’s potential to the full, as well as regional and wider cooperation format.
Importance of the efforts to resolve these conflicts in line with norms and principles of international law, particularly taking into consideration the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries, is stated in the declaration.
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.