Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 May / Trend corr S. Agayeva/ "All aspects of situation in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, including ecological situation, will be analyzed, and adequate measures will be taken," Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov said to journalists on 29 May.
According to the Azerbaijani Ecology Ministry, arsons in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan have resulted in AZN 159mln worth detriment to Azerbaijan in 2006 and AZN 15mln-worth detriment in 2007.
In 2006, OSCE mission including the World Election Monitoring Centre, UN Environment Program, experts of the European Commission, European Union and Council of Europe held a monitoring to assess the ecological detriment caused to the area by arsons. On the basis of the monitoring results, recommendations were developed to take environmental measures. The recommendations cannot be implemented because the conflict is still not resolved.
According to Azimov, the situation in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan remains tensed. Armenians are illegally living in the territory. The area is economically exploited. "The issue will be controlled within the framework of the Resolution on the Situation in the Occupied Territory of Azerbaijan, which was passed in the UN General Assembly," he said.
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 neighbouring 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.
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