Baku accuses U.S. of supporting separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
The separatist Nagorno-Karabakh regime gets a direct financial aid from the United States, a top Azerbaijani official said.
"The U.S. directly supports the separatist regime in Nagorno -Karabakh. It realizes its sanction policy in similar situations in other parts of the continent, while bans its financial bodies from any activity in the mentioned territories," said Novruz Mammadov, Deputy Head of Azerbaijan's Presidential Administration and Chief of the Foreign Relations Department, Trend reports.
Mammadov said Azerbaijan has built international relations on an equal and mutually beneficial basis with the western countries, including the U.S.
"There is no duality in Azerbaijan's position. We support a consistent dialogue, mutually beneficial co-operation and non-intervention to each other's internal affairs," he said, blaming some countries for their double standards.
"Azerbaijan frequently becomes the target for baseless criticisms by several western politicians, who can not accept Azerbaijan's independent position in international arena. Other critiques serve the interests of the Armenian diaspora in those countries in an effort to demonize Azerbaijan and justify Armenia's occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory. Along with that, the violated rights of over a million IDPs and refugees remain unheeded," Mammadov said.
Mammadov noted that Azerbaijan established itself as a responsible partner by realizing large energy and logistic projects.
"Azerbaijan initiates and carries out regional projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. It is the first ever regional project since the restoration of independence in 1991, which is funded without help from transnational financial corporations," he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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