Azerbaijan's FM comments on decision made by U.S. congressional subcommittee

A decision made by the subcommittee on foreign assignments of the U.S Congress, was incorrectly interpreted by Armenia, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told the media.

He was commenting on the sub-committee's decision on the allocation of aid to victims of the conflict, rather than the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The U.S. House of Representatives' subcommittee, in charge of working out the project on foreign aid in fiscal year 2014, gave priority to the rendering of humanitarian assistance to the population of those countries that have been affected by the conflict in Syria. The specific amounts for rendering assistance to the Caucasus countries have not been mentioned for the first time in two decades.

The subcommittee rejected the demands of pro-Armenian congressmen to allocate $5 million worth of 2014 aid to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The subcommittee's decision envisages rendering humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict, i.e. Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh, Abdullayev said.

Moreover, members of the subcommittee rejected the proposal of pro-Armenian congressmen that the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh participated in the negotiations on the conflict settlement, Abdullayev said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/