Yerevan neglects position of int’l community

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Unable to withstand Azerbaijan on the frontline, the Armenian government constantly threatens Baku to recognize the puppet separatist regime that Yerevan had established in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has recently said in the country’s parliament that in case of military action, Armenia will take all the necessary steps as the “guarantor of security” of Nagorno-Karabakh, including “recognition”.

However, such a statement by the Armenian government official once again demonstrates this country’s ignorance, disregard for international law and disrespect to the position of the international community.

“Armenia, by showing a complete disregard for the position of the international community and by continuing to grossly violate the generally accepted norms and principles of international law, as well as the requirements of the UN Security Council resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, implements a policy of maintaining the status quo based on occupation and aggression,” Hikmet Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesperson said, commenting on the statement made by Nalbandian, Trend reported.

Hajiyev stated that in his speech during the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov once again clearly expressed the country’s unwavering position on the process of conflict settlement.

“Mammadyarov reiterated that the Nagorno-Karabakh region has always been and will remain the integral part of Azerbaijan,” the official noted.

Hajiyev said Azerbaijan will never accept the occupation of its territories and the conflict can only be resolved within its territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders, adding that the international community also strongly supports this position.

“The internationally recognized borders of states can’t be changed by the use of force,” he said.

As Hajiyev said, during the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly, Elmar Mammadyarov reminded that if Armenia, following negotiations, doesn’t fully and unconditionally withdraw its military from the occupied territories, Azerbaijan will have to exercise its right –in line with the UN Charter’s Article 51 – to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

“In such a case, all responsibility rests solely on Armenia as an occupant country,” Hajiyev emphasized.

He noted that the sooner Armenia realizes this reality, the faster the conflict will be solved, and the countries and peoples of the region will benefit from cooperation and economic development.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s political scientist assessed Nalbandian’s statement as outright stupidity.

Fikret Sadikhov, professor of Western University said if Azerbaijan decides to liberate its territories, Yerevan’s “recognition” of Nagorno-Karabakh will be nothing but empty words.

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, causing a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 were reported missing, almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were left disabled.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on the Armenian withdrawal from Azerbaijani territories, but they have not been enforced to this day.