Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar.17
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
The ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia has never recognized the so-called election in Nagorno-Karabakh and will not recognize the upcoming "parliamentary election" in May, the Latvian foreign ministry told Trend March 17, commenting on the country's position in relation to the so-called Parliamentary election planned by the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We (Latvia) are convinced that the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh should be resolved only by using peaceful means, based on the basic principles of international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries," the spokesman for the foreign ministry of Latvia Ivars Lasis said.
Latvia supports the negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs aimed at settling the conflict, according to the spokesman.
"We believe it is crucial to maintain direct high-level contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the conflict settlement process," said the spokesman for the foreign ministry. "The efforts to reach a sustainable conflict settlement should be continued."
The ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia didn't recognize the so-called election and "constitutional referendums" held in Nagorno-Karabakh earlier as well.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry called the 'parliamentary election' planned to be held by the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh on May 3 as illegal.
"The upcoming "election" is a clear violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law," spokesman for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said. "This "election" is aimed at undermining the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement."
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 US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
By CN