Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 15
By Azad Hasanov - Trend:
The activity of Italian companies on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is unacceptable, Minister of Economy and Industry of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev said Apr.15 in Baku at a meeting with the Italian delegation headed by Minister of Economic Development Federica Guidi.
"The activity of several Italian companies on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the organization of tourist trips to these areas, as well as the participation of representatives of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh in exhibitions and events in Italy are unacceptable," said the minister.
The Italian government should take measures to prevent such cases, the minister said.
Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mustafayev said that the resolutions adopted by the international community regarding Armenia on the conflict, have not been yet fulfilled by this country.
"It is unacceptable that our partners would work on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," said the minister. "A number of Italian companies operates in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to our information. We have already talked about it with the government of Italy and I would like to once again draw your attention to this issue."
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.
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