Details added (first version posted on 12:43)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 14
Trend:
The international community should exert pressure and impose sanctions on Armenia, said Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Alizade in an interview within the ‘Embassy Road’ program on the Pakistani TV channel Waqt Tv, according to Azerbaijani embassy.
The diplomat further spoke on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the occupation policy of Armenia and the policy of ethnic cleansing, provocations, the Khojaly genocide.
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.
The diplomat also spoke about the development of Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations, implemented projects and work conducted to further diversify the cooperation that is developing between the two countries thanks to the direct attention of the Azerbaijani president and the leadership of Pakistan.
Touching upon the favorable conditions created for foreign investors in Azerbaijan, Alizade said that the factor of strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Pakistan contributes to cooperation in economic, trade, military-technical, energy, tourism and other spheres.
The ambassador also noted that two joint working groups were created in 2017 in order to expand cooperation in the trade, economic and agricultural spheres, as well as the visa regime for Pakistani citizens was simplified and the opportunities for mutual investment increased.
Alizade reminded that that 2017 was declared by President Ilham Aliyev as the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan, and that Baku hosted the Islamic Solidarity Games at a high level with the participation of 54 states.
The envoy also answered questions on bilateral relations and regional issues, noting that a number of mutual visits will take place between Azerbaijan and Pakistan by the end of this year and joint projects will be implemented.