Turkic Council condemns so-called “elections” in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region
By Trend
The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic
Council) condemns the so-called “presidential and parliamentary
elections” in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic
of Azerbaijan, which constitute a clear violation of the norms and
principles of international law, including Helsinki Final Act of
1975, and the related UN Security Council Resolutions,
Trend reports with reference to the organization’s
statement.
“Holding the so-called “elections” in the occupied territories
undermines the efforts within the OSCE Minsk Process to find a
peaceful settlement for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We call on
the OSCE Minsk Group and the international community not to
recognize these illegitimate elections,” said the statement.
The Member States of the Turkic Council reaffirm their commitments
to the norms and principles of international law and reiterate the
importance of the early settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, on the basis of sovereignty, territorial
integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said the Turkic Council.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.