EDITOR's NOTE: Official's quote added
Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.10 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Azerbaijan reserves the right to liberate the occupied territories in accordance with international law, Azerbaijani First Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ziyafet Askerov said today.
"Azerbaijan's economy should be placed on wartime footing, especially our industries,"he said.
Askerov chairs the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee.
The international community has once again proven its inability to influence Armenia, he said, and Azerbaijan reserves the right to liberate the occupied territories using economic or military means.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Askerov also accused the OSCE Minsk Group of inactivity.
According to the official, the group has confined itself to only making statements. These statements are not followed by concrete actions and have no power, he said.