Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 10:41)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28
By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:
Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan remains as the major threat to the country, said Spokesman of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev.
He made the remarks at a press conference on the outcome of 2017 foreign policy in Baku Dec. 28.
Hajiyev said that in 2017, Azerbaijan continued its policy of restoring the country’s territorial integrity, ensuring security in the region, strengthening the international authority of the country, developing mutual relations with other countries, as well as implementing a multilateral policy, a course of humanitarian and cultural policy, measures to ensure the rights of Azerbaijani citizens living abroad, and work on foreign policy and other areas.
Work was carried out against the disinformation policy of the Armenian lobby and its patronizing circles towards Azerbaijan, and the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, continued the spokesman.
He noted that Armenia’s attempts to disrupt the negotiation process and to preserve the status quo did not allow the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He emphasized that the illegal referendum, held by the unrecognized regime in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, was not recognized by the international community, and respect was demonstrated for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The spokesman added that the Armenian side again resorted to military provocations during the year, aggravating the situation on the line of contact of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
Deliberate shelling of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenia and the murder of several peaceful Azerbaijani citizens was strongly condemned by the international community, said Hajiyev.
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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.