Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Ukraine supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, Ambassador of Ukraine to Azerbaijan Alexander Mishchenko said during a press conference on April 7.

“It is impossible to understand the difficulties Azerbaijan faced until you get into a similar situation. We advocate for peaceful solution to conflicts,” the ambassador said.

Mishchenko wished the Azerbaijanis to return to their homelands in the near future, adding that Ukraine appreciates the friendship and support of Azerbaijan.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Mishchenko further said that during the recent meeting of the GUAM, member countries of the organization discussed the strengthening of economic ties, as well as the opportunities offered by the Silk Road project.

Azerbaijan and Ukraine enjoy sustainable prospects of bilateral relations in political, economic, energy, transport and humanitarian fields. In 2016, President Petro Poroshenko visited Azerbaijan, and a number of agreements were signed during the visit. Additionally, the presidents discussed the implementation of joint projects in energy, transport and agricultural spheres.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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