MP: OSCE MG’s visit to South Caucasus no different from previous ones

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

The recent visit of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to the South Caucasus and their appeal to the sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict do not differ from the previous ones, said Samad Seyidov, the chairman of Azerbaijani Parliament’s Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations.

Seyidov, talking to Trend, said that no specific opinions were voiced during the visit of the co-chairs to the region. Seyidov stressed that the co-chairs should specify and disclose the truth, and not hide the reality.

“The reality is that Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani lands and isn’t going to leave the occupied territories, and Armenia carries out provocations against Azerbaijan every day. The aggressor country is far from resolving this issue peacefully and within the framework of the law,” he said.

Seyidov noted that if the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs voice these realities, the conflict will be resolved. “They see this truth, but they aren’t going to accept it,” he added.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs paid a visit to the region on June 10-19. Upon completion, they issued a statement on the results of the visit, where called on the conflicting sides to re-engage in substantive negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 

Although the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the issue for over two decades, its activities have brought no breakthrough results so far.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.