TODAY.AZ / Politics

Azerbaijan OKs foreign media visit to occupied lands for Armenian PM's briefing

09 May 2018 [11:11] - TODAY.AZ

By  Trend


Azerbaijan did not oppose visit of foreign media representatives to Azerbaijan's occupied territories to cover a press briefing of Armenia's newly-elected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend May 9.

Hajiyev made the remarks commenting on reports that Pashinyan will hold a press conference in Khankendi for representatives of local and foreign media on May 9.

Hajiyev noted that media outlets such as Financial Times, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse appealed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry with official letters asking permission from the Azerbaijani government to visit the occupied territories.

"Given the respect of the mentioned mass media outlets to the laws, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan as well as to international law, no objection was expressed to the trip of their representatives to the occupied territories," Hajiyev said.

He voiced hope that representatives of foreign media will have a chance to familiarize with Armenia's aggression policy during the visit.

"We hope that during the trip, representatives of international media traveling in the occupied Lachin District and the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, will be able to get acquainted with the consequences of ethnic cleansing committed against the indigenous inhabitants of these territories - Azerbaijanis - during the occupation, and the fact that the property as well as material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people were plundered," he said.

Hajiyev further said the ministry advised representatives of foreign media to visit the completely devastated Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fizuli and other areas.

"However, practice shows that the Armenian side will not give them an opportunity to go further than Khankendi," Hajiyev said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Armenian president Armen Sarkissian on May 8 signed a decree appointing Nikol Pashinyan as the prime minister. Opposition leader Pashinyan was elected Armenia's prime minister with 59 MPs voting “for” and 42 “against” during a special session of the National Assembly on May 8.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/169844.html

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