BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 23
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The UN and the EU should remind the international community to live up to its previous resolutions, Ismail Serageldin, the co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) told Trend.
Serageldin noted that although the agenda of NGIC meetings are more focused on other issues, there are many many other meetings related to this period of the UN General Assembly.
“And as the diplomats meet to discuss the important issues of our time, they should ensure that the so-called “frozen conflicts” receive attention to move them forward towards a lasting and just solution. Of these, the issue of Nagorno Karabakh is an important and deserving one,” Serageldin said.
He added that already a few months ago, the Board of Trustees of NGIC had issued a statement calling on all parties to avoid the use of arms and to continue – as Azerbaijan is doing, – to seek redress through the appropriate legal channels and seek peace through peace.
“In such an endeavor, the UN in its 75th anniversary, and the EU should activate all possible diplomatic channels, to advance the search for a final and just settlement of that long-standing conflict. The UN and the EU should remind the international community to live up to its previous resolutions, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and to overcome the unjust legacies of the past, to address our global challenges of the present, and to lay the foundations for better tomorrows,” Serageldin 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, 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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.