Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 16
Trend:
The Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region of Azerbaijan issued a statement regarding the illegal visit by Bako Sahakyan, “head” of the separatist regime created in occupied Azerbaijani territories, to France.
The statement notes that the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan strongly condemns Sahakyan's visit to France as a “representative” of the illegal regime created in occupied Azerbaijani territories.
“Despite that this is contrary to France's obligations as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, nothing was done to prevent this visit,” reads the statement. “The passive attitude of the French government to such repeated illegal actions and non-application of effective measures are unacceptable. France doesn’t give permission to individuals to enter the country from South Ossetia, Abkhazia, the Crimea and Transnistria, but shows a special sympathy for representatives of the separatist regime created in occupied Azerbaijani territories.”
"Despite that the French government is well aware that the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was subject to an ethnic cleansing and fundamental rights of its members were grossly violated, France ignores such unilateral and separatist steps, violates the principles of inalienability of human rights and equality," the statement reads.
“This illegal visit not only hinders the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but also serves to encourage the separatist regime created in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories,” the statement reads. “The French side must finally understand that such biased actions severely harm France’s authority in the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and in the general Azerbaijani public.”
The statement reads that if France really intends to contribute to resolving the conflict, it should ensure its impartiality as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, seek to achieve the withdrawal of the Armenian troops from occupied Azerbaijani territories, invite Armenian and Azerbaijani communities to Paris and support ethnic reconciliation and dialogue between these two communities based on equality.
“The French side should understand that ensuring a sustainable and fair peace in the region is possible only if Azerbaijanis, who were subject to an ethnic cleansing and who were expelled from their native lands, return to their homeland,” the statement said.
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.