Armenia should free Azerbaijani territories: UK envoy
By Sara Rajabova
Armenia should withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Irfan Siddiq said.
During a meeting with the students at the Khazar University on March 3, touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Siddiq said all agree that Armenia must withdraw from the occupied territories and the land should be returned to Azerbaijan.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Siddiq also noted that the UK-Azerbaijani relations are excellent. He said the UK is the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan.
"We have more invested in Azerbaijan than any other country. And this is mainly in the energy sector through the work of BP and other companies engaged in oil development in the oil and gas industries," Siddiq said.
He said many Azerbaijani students go to the UK to study at British universities.
"And more of them are funded by an Azerbaijani state's scholarship program to study in the UK," Siddiq said.
In terms of visits, he noted many Azerbaijanis visit the UK for tourism, work and leisure.
The UK recognized Azerbaijan's independence in December, 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in March, 1992.
Azerbaijan and the UK have benefited from close bilateral partnership and cooperation since 1992, in the framework of international organizations such as the United Nations, OSCE, Council of Europe, and NATO. The relations have covered a wide range of issues, from high-level political dialogue to growing trade and investment, as well as strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties.
Economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the energy sector, is at the core of the relations between Azerbaijan and the UK. The UK is the largest foreign direct investor in Azerbaijan, followed by the U.S. and Japan.
Azerbaijan cooperates with the UK in the exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas from the Azerbaijani part of the Caspian Sea.