Azernews.Az

By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva has slammed Armenian foreign minister’s statement that Yerevan will not return any of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories that is required for the step-by-step settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Addressing a presser on April 22, Abdullayeva said: “The foreign minister of the aggressor country, that is, Armenia, obnoxiously declares the problems of security and free expression of will. What kind of security can be talked about under the conditions of military occupation? The very fact that one state occupies the territory of another state is a constant source of a security threat.

“It is impossible to talk about the security and free will of the population of Karabakh when its third part is forcibly expelled from their places of permanent residence and for about 30 years deprived of the opportunity to return to their homes and participate in a free expression of the will concerning the future of their region."

Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan during a video-conferecne with his Azerbaijani counterpart on April 21, said that Armenia would not liberate any territories around Nagorno-Karabakh, citing security reasons.

Mnatsakanyan was commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement about the step-by-step settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Lavrov had said that the first stage of the settlement requires “the solution of the most pressing problems – the liberation of a number of areas around Nagorno-Karabakh and the unblocking of transport, economic and other communications.”

Abdullayeva said that Lavrov’s suggestion about the step-by-step approach is confirmed and has been repeatedly and consistently voiced by all co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group in all stages of the conflict resolution process.

Furthermore, Abdullayeva reminded that both Azerbaijan and Armenia are full-fledged participants in the documents of UN Charter of 1945, the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and the Paris Charter of 1990.

“We recall once again that participating states must refrain in their actions from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. We also emphasize once again that, with regard to the principle of self-determination, member states must act in accordance with the goals and principles of the UN Charter and relevant norms of international law, including those that relate to the territorial integrity of states, as set out in the above-mentioned Helsinki Final Act and then reaffirmed by the Paris Charter”, she added.

The spokesperson reminded that Armenia’s occupation is temporary. “The sooner Armenia realizes this and stops engaging in self-deception, deceiving its own population and trying to mislead the world community, the more chances the country will have to avoid further bloodshed and aggravation of its already depressing situation.”

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

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