Lavrov talks on unfulfilled UN Security Council resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Russia, together with the U.S. and France as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, is working to implement the tasks standing in the way to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on June 21.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, answering the question about whether it is possible to achieve strict implementation of the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.

“The mentioned resolutions were adopted during the period of hostilities. Along with the steps taken on the spot, by our country as well, they [resolutions] made it possible to stop this bloody situation and turn it into a political dialogue,” Lavrov noted.

He added that the OSCE Minsk Group was established with the consent of all parties without exception.

“Russia, together with the U.S. and France as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, with the full consent of Baku and Yerevan, is working to implement the tasks that we all face. For this to happen, a consensus between the parties to the conflict is necessary,” the FM said. “As soon as we move in this direction, I am sure that the conflict settlement will be not far off.”

Guterres, in turn, noted that the key problem is the respect of the UN member states to the decisions of the UN Security Council.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. 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.

During the escalating Armenian aggression in 1993, the UN Security Council adopted resolutions No. 822, 853, 874 and 884, which condemn the occupation of the 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and once again confirm that Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan. The resolutions demand for the full, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian occupation troops from the Azerbaijani lands.

However, Armenia still refuses to fulfill the demands of the major international organization and shows disrespect to the principles of international law.