France, Strasburg, Oct. 5 / Trend A.Maharramli /
The territorial integrity of states is the supreme principle, to which the Council of Europe adheres, the Foreign Minister of Macedonia, Acting Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Antonio Miloshoski, said at the Committee's plenary session on Monday. He stated about this in his reply to the question of the member of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rafael Huseynov.
Huseynov noted about the importance of respect to the territorial integrity and inviolability of borders by the member-states of the Council of Europe.
"The future of Europe lies in the formation of its integrity, closer approach of states and greater transparency of the borders. However, the fundamental condition of this convergence lies in a respectful approach of states to the territorial integrity and inviolability of each others' borders. There is a state defiantly violating the supreme principle among the member states of the Council of Europe. Is it not an open attack on the future of Europe? What steps can the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe take, within its authority, to address this undesirable situation?" Huseynov said.
Replying to Huseynov's question, Miloshoski stated that the territorial integrity of states is the supreme principle, to which the Council of Europe is comitted.
"The territorial integrity is the supreme principle. From this point of view, the Council of Europe stands for complete establishment of this principle, both among the member-states, and around the world. We do not endorse the occupation in any form and under any pretext by one member-state of the Council of Europe's territory, violation of the territorial integrity and inviolability of another country's borders," he said.
Miloshoski also noted that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has always been in the focus of the Council of Europe.
"The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an issue which is always in the focus of the Council of Europe. We are the supporters of resolution of this problem through diplomatic and peaceful means," Miloshoski said. "There is a progress in this area. They are not big, but gradual. The main thing is that this process exists, and we wish that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has found a positive resolution."
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.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.