Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. S.Ilhamgizi / Attempts by Armenian separatists to hold so-called 'municipal elections' in Azerbaijani occupied territories aim to draw the attention of international communities, Mazahir Panahov, the chairman of the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission, said to journalists on 16 October.
The separatist forces held the so-called municipal elections in the Azerbaijani occupied territory of Nagorno-Karabakh on 14 October.
Separatist forces hold similar elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, Panahov said. However, international organizations state such elections have no legal basis, on the contrary it causes obstacles in the regulation of the conflict.
Azerbaijani communities should be patient to any provocative actions by Armenian separatists. Most international organizations back Azerbaijan's policy concerning the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Khazar Ibrahim, the press-secretary of the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, said the elections had no legal basis and are not recognized by international organizations.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time active hostilities ended. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.