Azernews.Az

The Armenian parliament on Thursday discussed the speaker's statement on the settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
Tigran Torosian said the legislature had suggested that the president and the government step up efforts at resolving the long-standing dispute, expand opportunities for the peace process and comprehensively inform the world community about the conflict.
The speaker said the proposals included Armenia's "ensuring Upper Garabagh's security and all-sided protection in line with international law" in case Azerbaijan launched military action.
"The document indicates that the situation emerging of late around the Garabagh settlement provides no grounds for optimism. Azerbaijan's statements hostile to Armenia and Armenians on launching military operations have increased," Torosian claimed.
He said further that Azerbaijan's military potential is rising with the windfall of oil revenues, which leads the other side to believe that a military solution of the problem is likely.
Torosian maintained that the mediating OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, while disregarding the possible enforcement of two principles of the conflict resolution, cited only the territorial integrity in their recent statements. He charged that under international law, "the Upper Garabagh people reserved the right to self-determination, and no one can take it away".
The statement will be passed in parliament as a final document reflecting Yerevan's stance on the Garabagh problem.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Peace talks have been fruitless so far.