Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 4
By Ilhama Isabalayeva – Trend:
An appeal adopted by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Bureau, which includes heads of the delegations of the European Parliament and the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, to the heads of state and government, who will participate in the Eastern Partnership summit, reflects a single approach to the issue of occupied lands, Fuad Muradov, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Euronest PA, told Trend Nov. 4.
Recalling that the fifth summit of the Eastern Partnership will be held Nov. 24 in Brussels, Muradov said that in anticipation of such a summit, all European international structures send an appeal to the heads of state and government of the participating countries.
“The appeal covers many issues,” the head of the Azerbaijani delegation said. “There is a single approach regarding occupied territories, including those occupied in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The appeal says that peace must be restored in the occupied territories of any country.”
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.