Baku, Azerbaijan, June 5
Trend:
Armenia’s territorial claims deprive it of cooperation prospects, said Assistant to the Azerbaijani President for Foreign Policy Issues, Department Head Novruz Mammadov.
He made the remarks June 5 in Baku at the international conference titled “Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey trilateral relations: A look into the future.”
He stressed that stability, security and long-term development are necessary for the South Caucasus region.
“Trilateral relations are very important for states located in one region,” Mammadov said. “Sanctions on various issues are imposed on some countries, but for some reason it becomes hard to take a fair stance regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Mammadov went on to add that the current state of affairs in the world is explained by the fact that since the Warsaw Pact (May 14, 1955), the parties considering themselves leaders haven’t been able to observe the principle of justice.
“If there is no justice in international relations, it is not normal to talk about other values,” he noted.