Details added (first version posted on 14:42)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.8
By Seba Agayeva - Trend:
A visit of the mayor of the French town of Bourg-les-Valence Marlene Mourier to the occupied Azerbaijani territories and signing of the declaration on twinning of the city with the occupied Azerbaijani town of Shusha are illegal, the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend Oct.8, commenting on the Armenian media's information about this visit.
He said that the signing of any document with the illegal breakaway regime by a mayor of the French city is also contrary to French law and mediatory mission of this country as co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group.
These illegal activities on the eve of the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will be held in Paris on the initiative of French President Francois Hollande, are a provocation under the influence of Armenia and the Armenian lobby, Hajiyev said.
He said that the mentioned visit and the signing of the declaration are disrespectful to the refugees and displaced persons who have been expelled from their homelands as a result of the Armenian aggression, Hajiyev said.
The mayor, who encourages separatism, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity by his contacts with the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh regime, should be aware of his responsibility to his constituents, the residents of the town of Bourg-les-Valence, he said.
Armenia, remaining faithful to its tradition, trying to harm the settlement process of the conflict by such provocative actions, Hajiyev said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.