Azerbaijan, Baku, June 19 / Trend , A.Huseynbala/
Deputy of the Azerbaijani Parliament voiced protest against the intention of the U.S. Congress to allocate financial aid to Nagorno-Karabakh again.
"The United States is a strategic partner of Azerbaijan, therefore, the parliament must protest the support to separatists," Deputy of Parliament, Chairman of the People Front Party of Unified Azerbaijan Party, Gudrat Hasanguliyev, told the Parliament.
As for 2009, the U.S. administration allocated $8 million financial aid to Nagorno-Karabakh. The analogue aid was scheduled for 2010.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
According to Hasanguliyev, the United States being one of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and at the same time allocates financial aid to separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh and such actions are contrary to each other.
"If the U.S. Congress continues to render financial support to the occupation regime, then how they could achieve the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," the deputy said.
This issue must be discussed in the adjusted parliamentary committee and appropriated statement must be adopted, Hasanguliyev said.
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