Priority of territorial integrity principle highlighted in Chisinau
By Sara Rajabova
Representatives from Azerbaijan have attended an international conference titled 'The territorial integrity and human rights protection' held in Moldovan capital of Chisinau.
The event held with the help of the Council of State Support to NGOs (CSSN) under Azerbaijani President, the CSSN press service told Trend news agency on September 17.
The conference was attended by about 100 NGO representatives, media, the diplomatic corps, and international experts from Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the OSCE and the EU.
Former Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi and former Ombudsman Aurelia Grigoriu highlighted in their speeches the priority of the territorial integrity principle.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Moldova Namig Aliyev noted that Armenia, despite the resolutions and decisions of many international organizations led by the UN, has been for over 20 years occupying Azerbaijan's lands.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
Aliyev said however, Azerbaijan is successfully developing today, while Armenia mired in corruption and social problems.
Addressing the event, Israeli expert in international relations Arie Gut said the Armenians need to make a final decision on the current government.