SG: TURKPA supports peaceful settlement to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
By Rashid Shirinov
TURKPA (Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries) has always supported peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Secretary General of TURKPA Jandos Asanov has told Trend.
The Secretary General noted that it is the consistent position of the Assembly. “During each of its plenary sessions and in all its declarations TURKPA expressed support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” said Asanov.
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries was established on November 21, 2008, according to the Agreement signed by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The Assembly fosters developing the inter-governmental relations and coordinating overall cooperation of the member-countries.
The organization numerously noted its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan. This was also reflected in the declaration of June 13, 2014 in Baku.
The declaration called for the inviolability of borders and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries and emphasizes the need for a rapid settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Since then, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh, defying international calls and four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces form Azerbaijani lands.
As a result of this aggression, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and more than one million people were expelled from their native lands.
Moreover, after invading Azerbaijan's territories, Armenia has been pursuing the campaign of ruining cultural and historical monuments of Azerbaijan. The destruction continues to this day.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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