Azerbaijan to open embassy in Panama
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan will open a diplomatic mission in Panama by the end of this year, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Mexico and Panama Ilgar Mukhtarov said at a meeting with Foreign Minister of Panama Fernando Núñez Fábrega.
During the meeting it was stressed that Azerbaijan is interested in the establishment of friendship ties and expansion of cooperation with Panama.
He informed Fábrega on the new political history of Azerbaijan, the development of statehood, and the Armenia - Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "Azerbaijan's economy amounts to 80 percent of the overall economy of the South Caucasus and that makes leader in the region," Mukhtarov added.
Speaking about Armenia's occupation policy towards Azerbaijan, Mukhtarov informed the minister on the history and results of the conflict and the Khojaly massacre.
Fábrega, in his turn, said that Panama is interested in the opening of the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan and added that this step will contribute to strengthening the relations between the two countries.
At the end of the meeting Mukhtarov invited the Foreign Minister of Panama to pay a visit to Azerbaijan.
Mukhtarov also held several meetings at the parliament of Panama during which he stressed the importance of organizing mutual visits, establishment of interparliamentary ties and mentioned Azerbaijan's intention in cooperation with Panama in different different fields, including cultural, economic and political spheres.
The Azerbaijani ambassador informed the members of parliament on the Nagorno - Karabakh conflict, Armenia's occupation policy against Azerbaijan as a result of which more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDP's, and the Khojaly genocide. He stressed the recognition of this massacre at the international level, noting the resolutions recently adopted at the parliaments of various countries, including the Latin America states, on the Khojaly massacre and Armenian aggression recently.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, defying the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on a pullout from the occupied territories.
The Khojaly massacre is one of the most heinous and bloodiest events of the 20th century. Late into the night of February 25, 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intensive fire from the town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. 613 civilians were killed, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children, and a total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage.