Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The number of countries voicing support to Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and condemning the so-called ‘elections’ held in Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is increasing day by day.

The so-called ‘elections’ to the ‘self-governing bodies’ of the puppet separatist regime that installed by Armenia in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories were held on September 13.

Recalling that Tbilisi backs Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within sovereignty and internationally recognized borders, the Georgian Foreign Ministry announced that the country does not recognize the so-called ‘election’ held in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Georgian foreign ministry considered it important to continue the dialogue as part of the principles and norms of international law for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Bahrain also supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within sovereignty and internationally recognized borders.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry said the country does not recognize the so-called ‘election’ in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region. Bahrain calls for rapid settlement of the conflict, the statement said.

Many countries have already denounced the so-called ‘elections’ as illegitimate. The French and UK embassies in Azerbaijan stated that their countries don’t recognize ‘elections’ in the separatist region of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan condemned the so-called ‘elections’, describing it as an open violation of international law, stating that it does not have any legal weight.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s.

Following the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia established a separatist regime in the occupied territories and strives for recognition of the puppet regime from the international community.

Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian, and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on the Armenian withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

--

Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz