Azernews.Az

BAKU - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has called on the international community to pile pressure on Armenia, which has been occupying a part of Azerbaijan’s territory since the early 1990s.

Hosting the heads of Islamic countries’ diplomatic missions on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, President Aliyev said Muslim nations adhere to a fair stance on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh.

"The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has repeatedly passed resolutions on this issue that support Azerbaijan’s fair position. The resolution on the Nagorno Karabakh problem, discussed at the UN General Assembly two years ago, was backed by Muslim countries, and this support played a crucial role in its adoption."

Aliyev noted that Nagorno Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s historical and inseparable land.

"Nagorno Karabakh is recognized by the international community as an integral part of Azerbaijan, and this means that resolving the issue by any means is Azerbaijan’s internal affair and no outside force can interfere with the matter," the Azerbaijani leader said.

He expressed confidence that the long-standing dispute will be settled in compliance with the country’s territorial integrity and international law.

20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent districts, has been under Armenian occupation for nearly two decades. Defying international law, the separatist regime in Nagorno Karabakh declared so-called independence in 1991, which has not been recognized by the world community.

President Aliyev went on to say that the month of Ramadan signifies unity among world Muslims, stressing the importance of further strengthening the friendly and fraternal bonds among Islamic nations. He pointed to the significance of opening more embassies of Islamic states in Azerbaijan and also said the number of Azerbaijani missions in Muslim countries was on the increase.

Uzbekistan’s Ambassador Ismatullah Irgashov, speaking on behalf of the diplomats attending the meeting, said Azerbaijan was a guarantor of stability and dynamic development in the South Caucasus region. He also said Islamic countries’ position on the Karabakh conflict remains unchanged.

Irgashov said that Azerbaijan, which stands out for its vigorous stance at the OIC, is a graphic example of