Armenia's peace conception: nothing but a nonsense
By Nazrin Gadimova
Armenia's blaming Baku in a desire to hold a status quo in long lasting Nagorno-Karabakh conflict indeed showed political illiteracy of Yerevan, which keeps under occupation 20 percent of internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
"It seems the Armenian Foreign Ministry does not understand the concept of the 'status quo' term," Spokesman Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said.
The most interested party in changing status quo and in political settlement of the conflict is Azerbaijan, Hajiyev mentioned.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian accused Azerbaijan in preserving status quo on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a statement made at a joint press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström on February 9, 2016.
Hajiyev said Armenia continues its occupation policy keeping its troops at Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
“If Yerevan is not interested in maintaining ‘status quo’, as Nalbanyan urges, then Armenia should immediately, unconditionally and completely withdraw its forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as required by UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884,” he noted.
Hajiyev stressed that Armenia's statements about peace and its claims against Azerbaijan are nothing but a nonsense and irresponsibility. He said all efforts should be aimed at eliminating the basic causes of the conflict to achieve a comprehensive settlement and establishment of long-term peace.
“The Armenian armed forces should withdraw and occupation of the Azerbaijani lands must be ceased within a certain period of time, but not in a free time mode that is traditional for OSCE Minsk Group,” Hajiyev noticed.
Armenia should understand that the situation created through illegal use of force and occupation cannot be considered a legitimate and Yerevan will not be able to achieve its political purposes in this way.
“Azerbaijan will use all opportunities to ensure inviolability of the internationally recognized state borders, compliance for territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Hajiyev said, adding that Armenia is responsible for everything that happened.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia has continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France, and the U.S. have produced no results so far.
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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova
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