Azernews.Az

By Akbar Mammadov

China has expressed its support for political dialogue over the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry's Spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a press conference on April 14.

Commenting on the second round of the so-called "presidential elections" in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia, the Chinese spokesman noted:

"China’s position on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh is clear and consistent. We hope relevant parties will resolve disputes through political dialogue and uphold regional peace and stability. China will continue promoting stability and development in the region".

In turn, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva said in her Twitter page:

"China’s principled position on supporting sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is reflected in numerous bilateral agreements signed by both states."

It should be noted that a number of countries, including France, Germany, Turkey, UK, Canada, Australia, Norway, Pakistan, Latvia, Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, as well as major international organizations such as the EU, NATO, OSCE, OIC, GUAM, Visegrad Group, TURKPA have recently reiterated their support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and condemned the illegal elections held in in Karabakh on March 31.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

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