Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan’s winning a seat on the U.N. Security Council has raised utter concerns in Armenia, the country’s long-time foe, with media circulating reports about the potential impact of Monday’s elections on the long-standing conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

Azerbaijan gained a non-permanent UN SC seat in 2012-2013 after Slovenia withdrew from the race following 16 inconclusive rounds of voting. Its victory was confirmed when it received 155 votes in the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly.

According to Armenia Today news website, independent Armenian lawmaker Vardan Khachatryan fears that Azerbaijan will raise the issue of his country’s being an invader at the U.N. "This would be aggravating for us," he said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a brutal war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including the Nagorno Karabakh region, has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since then. OSCE-brokered peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Alexander Arzumanyan, former Armenian foreign minister and currently opposition member, has told Radio Liberty that Azerbaijan’s election to the UN SC will be "a big headache" for the Armenian diplomacy.

"For the next two years we will face bids to dictate things to Armenia," Arzumanyan said. But he added: "This does not mean that Azerbaijan’s membership will disrupt the geo-political balance at the U.N. and Azerbaijan will dictate the UN SC agenda."

The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) has tried to ease concerns in Armenia. HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov claimed in a statement that Azerbaijan’s interpreting its election to the U.N. council as a victory was wrong.

"We are facing false propaganda," he alleged. "This issue cannot have any impact on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, because the countries co-chairing the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group [the United States, Russia and France] are also permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and their positions overlap with Armenia’s stance."

The Security Council is the powerhouse of the United Nations, with the ability to impose sanctions and dispatch peacekeeping forces. There are five veto-holding permanent members of the council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- and 10 temporary elected members without vetoes.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the US State Department issued a statement congratulating Azerbaijan on its UN SC membership.