Azerbaijan, Baku, 15 March /corr. Trend S.Agayeva / Baku considers that protesting against the Resolution on Situation in Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, which was presented by the Azerbaijani side to the UN General Assembly, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen brought themselves to a difficult situation, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Araz Azimov, briefed the media on 15 March.
On 14 March the UN General Assembly supported the Resolution on Situation in Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, which was presented by the Azerbaijani side.
Some 39 countries voted for and seven countries against the resolution. 100 members abstained voting.
The Resolution highlights serious concerns that the armed conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh territory of Azerbaijan and its surrounding regions is continuing presenting threats for the international peace and security and adversely affects the humanitarian situation in the South Caucasus countries.
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 the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
The UN General Assembly urges the member-countries to respect and support sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders. "The General Assembly again states that no country should recognize legal the situation created as a result of occupation of the Azerbaijani territories. No country should promote or assist continuation of the situation," the adopted document says. The Resolution requires an immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian Armed Forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen have been engaged only in giving promises which they have not kept," Azimov said. According to him, the Co-Chairmen are the participants of the political games. The positions of their countries do not coincide. Each of them has their own interests in the region. Several countries, to whom Azerbaijan appealed for supporting the Resolution, openly said that Russia and other countries put pressure on them in order to protest against Azerbaijan's position during the discussions on the Resolution in the UN General Assembly.
According to Azimov, in this format the Minsk Group lost its efficiency. "The Minsk Group includes such countries as Turkey and Germany who demonstrate more sensible position on the conflict," he said.
In addition, Azimov expressed concerns with the contradictions in the statements of the Co-Chairmen regarding the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. "The principles of self-determination should not bring to the changes in the territorial integrity of State," he said.