BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 30
Trend:
Turkey has called on the OSCE Minsk Group and all international organizations to boycott the holding of so-called "election" by Armenia in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, Trend reports on March 30 referring to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
“The so-called "election", scheduled for March 31, 2020 in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia, demonstrates the unilateral attempts to "legitimize" the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh region,” the ministry added.
"This is an open violation of the principles of international law, including the UN Security Council resolutions and OSCE principles," the ministry said.
“Organizing of the so-called "election" in the occupied territories, when the phased negotiations are underway within the OSCE Minsk Group to find a peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are an initiative that violates sustainable stability and a policy towards truce," the ministry said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called on the international community, international structures, including the OSCE Minsk Group, not to recognize this so-called "election".
"Turkey does not recognize this illegal election, which is aimed at violating Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry added. “Turkey, as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, will continue to support the efforts to find a just solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."
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, 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 Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.