Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12
Trend:
The ongoing aggressive policy of Armenia is the main reason why the ceasefire doesn’t bring peace for 25 years, Hikmet Hajiyev, Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration told reporters in Baku on May 12, Trend reports.
Hajiyev said Armenia occupied the territory of Azerbaijan with the use of force.
"More than a million Azerbaijanis in the occupied territories were subject to ethnic cleansing, and for more than 25 years they have to live as refugees and IDPs. The aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan was also accompanied by numerous war crimes against the civilian population. Four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council in connection with the conflict condemned the use of force by Armenia against Azerbaijan, again confirmed the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, requiring immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the invading forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” he added.
Hikmet Hajiyev stressed that the ceasefire is not peace. "The Armenian leadership also recognizes that although 25 years have passed, the ceasefire has not turned into sustainable peace. The main reason why the ceasefire regime has not brought sustainable peace is the continuation of the aggressive policy of Armenia,” Hajiyev added.
He noted that the format of the negotiation process hasn’t changed and is conducted between the parties to the conflict, namely Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"If the Armenian side really wants to ensure sustainable peace in the region, then it should constructively participate in the negotiation process on the basis of the existing format, in accordance with the requirements of the UN Security Council resolutions, withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and not hinder the return of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons to their native lands. Only after that sustainable peace can be secured in the region,” Hikmet Hajiyev added.
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.