Baku stands for peaceful settlement of crisis in Ukraine
By Jamila Babayeva
Azerbaijan stands for peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists on March 18.
"Azerbaijan calls for solution to the problem within the framework of Ukraine's constitution, and also supports respect towards international principles, and in particular the principle of territorial integrity," he said.
Mammadyarov stressed that Azerbaijan is one of the countries that suffers from violations of the principles of territorial integrity.
On February 26, several thousand people gathered in front of Supreme Council of Crimea. After the escalation of the protests in Crimea, the Federation Council supported Russian President Vladimir Putin's appeal regarding the use of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine pending "the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country".
The Crimean parliament made a decision on joining Russia on March 6. The deputies also voted for the referendum on the status of the peninsula on March 16.
The vast majority of residents of Crimea - 96 percent - voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.