Armenia should implement international organizations' decisions on Nagorno-Karabakh
By Rashid Shirinov
The decisions of the UN Security Council, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be finally implemented, said Deputy Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Committee Dmitry Savelyev.
He was commenting on the results of the conference entitled “Azerbaijan is Russia’s only ally in the South Caucasus,” which was held in the Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil region.
Savelyev said that the need to intensify efforts to implement the decisions of the international community, which has repeatedly expressed support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, is obvious.
“In the difficult current conditions of political instability, the need to expand and strengthen the ties is obvious both for Russia and Azerbaijan, as together our two states are able to ensure peace and stability in the Transcaucasus region,” he told Trend on July 2. “And today, this statement has gained special relevance in the light of the events in Armenia, which threaten to destabilize the entire region.”
Savelyev once again stressed that Azerbaijan is a strategic partner and direct neighbor of Russia, as well as the largest and economically developed state of the South Caucasus.
“Geographically and in ethno-religious terms, Azerbaijan is located at the crossroads of civilizations and serves as a bridge between Russia and the Middle East. Over a quarter of a century of independence, Azerbaijan has become an important player in the energy market and a major transport hub,” he noted, adding that the country has carried out a real urban revolution, created a powerful economic infrastructure and a strong army.
Savelyev reminded that in the last five or six years the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia has been steadily growing, cooperation in the economy has been established, cooperation in the production and transportation of oil and gas has been started, and the special services of both countries have successfully combined their efforts in the fight against terrorism, suppressing the activities of radical groups in their territories.
The Russian politician also stressed that Russia is making efforts within the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem peacefully.
“While the international community is inactive, Azerbaijan is forced to take independent steps. We all witnessed that at the end of May 2018, the village of Gunnut in Sharur region of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the important strategic heights around it were liberated from occupation,” Savelyev reminded, adding that the territory of 11,000 hectares, more than 8,000 hectares of which are suitable for agriculture, is now taken under control.
Earlier, during the conference in Jojug Marjanli, the Russian politician said that Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan must be returned unconditionally.
Azerbaijan and Armenia, for over two decades, have been locked in a conflict which emerged over Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, 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 has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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