BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6
Trend:
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Azerbaijan Mikhail Bocharnikov was invited to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and received by the Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, on Nov. 6, 2019, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
At the meeting, the MFA’s note of protest with regard to the visit of Masis Mayilyan and Lernik Hovhannisyan, the “representatives” of the illegal regime created in the Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region currently occupied by Armenia, was handed over to the Russian Ambassador.
The note says that meetings of the "representatives" of the illegal entity created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan with a number of Russian experts and fellows from academic centers serve to attempts undertaken by Armenia for almost 30 years to continue the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories and to consolidate status quo in the occupied territories.
The Ministry underlined that such visits are irreversible of provocative nature against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, they undermine the negotiation process and the spirit of sincerity and high trust between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as they aren’t in line with provisions of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation dated July 3, 1997.
It was mentioned that, despite repeated declarations by the Russian side of regarding such visits as a private ones, the "representatives" of illegal "authorities" in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan continue to use the Russian territory to consolidate the consequences of the aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan.
At the same time, it was noted that the entry of "representatives" of the illegal entity into the territory of Russia doesn’t correspond to the commitments of this country as one of the mediators of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, making efforts for resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the permanent member of the UN Security Council, which supported its resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 adopted in 1993. It was also especially stressed that the mission of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs is to promote an impartial approach to all issues related to the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
In this regard, the Azerbaijani side stated that it expects from the Russian side to take all the necessary measures to prevent such visits.
Ambassador Bocharnikov underlined that Russia's position on the conflict is well-known and it hasn't changed, as well as any entry of the “representatives” of not-recognized entities into the Russian territory doesn’t reflect the country’s official position. He also said that he would inform the Russian Foreign Ministry about the protest of the Azerbaijani side.
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, 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 Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.