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Armenia obliges to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under Riga Declaration

25 May 2015 13:59 (UTC+04:00)
Armenia obliges to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under Riga Declaration

By Sara Rajabova

Armenia, with the signing of the final declaration of the Riga summit, has undertaken an obligation when it comes to settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with international law.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman made the remarks while commenting on statements made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan during the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga.

All participants of the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga signed the final declaration on May 22. The Eastern Partnership final declaration highlighted the EU's support for the territorial integrity, indivisibility, independence and sovereignty of the Eastern Partnership member-states.

Hajiyev noted that Armenia, signing the final declaration of the Riga summit, reiterates its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

“The third paragraph of the Riga declaration reflects the obligation on supporting the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of all partner countries. In accordance with the fifth paragraph of the Riga Declaration, the Armenian leadership undertakes an obligation on resolving the conflict based on the norms and principles of the international law,” Hajiyev said.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. A war in the early 1990s resulted in the displacement of over one million Azerbaijanis. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Armenia has not yet implemented any of the four U.N. Security Council's resolutions on its pullout from neighboring country's territories.

“There is no need to say that the historic land of Azerbaijan - Nagorno-Karabakh, has nothing to do with Armenia in terms of history, archaeology and anthropology. It's enough to add that after gaining independence, Azerbaijan joined the UN as a fully-fledged member, with Nagorno-Karabakh as its integral part and these borders were recognized by the international community,” Hajiyev further stressed.

He went on to note that the international community firmly supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders.

“UN Security Council’s resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884 cover the inviolability of the internationally-recognized borders of Azerbaijan, country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and demand the unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian troops from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. The ninth paragraph of Resolution 853 is about Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Hajiyev said.

He urged the Armenian authorities to finally demonstrate responsible behavior in accordance with their international obligations by withdrawing their troops from the occupied territories and thus put an end to the occupation instead of making frivolous and ridiculous statements.

“Otherwise, Armenia will be fully responsible for any situation that may arise,” he warned.

The Eastern Partnership envisages the political association and economic integration of the EU with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The last three countries signed an agreement on associated partnership with the EU in 2014.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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