Nagorno-Karabakh issue raised in Polish Seim

Azerbaijan is dissatisfied with the position of the European Union’s (EU) officials, who clearly and openly do not support the country’s territorial integrity, European Parliament members’ illegal visits to Nagorno-Karabakh, occupied by Armenia, and lack of any official reaction by EU to these visits.

"Azerbaijan's ambassador to Poland, Hasan Hasanov voiced position of Baku during hearings of the Polish Seim’s Standing Committee on the Eastern Partnership program", the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.

Hasanov stressed Armenia’s responsibility in the existence of about one million refugees and IDPs as a result of this country’s aggressive policy toward Azerbaijan and its people’s plight.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the 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.

The ambassador said the only way to resolve the problem is by liberating Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.

Azerbaijan is interested in integrating into Europe, and attaches great importance to cooperation within the "Eastern Partnership" program.

He said the Azerbaijani President will attend the next summit of the Eastern Partnership member countries, to be held in Warsaw in September. This visit will give impetus to Azerbaijan’s integration into the EU and raise Azerbaijani-Polish relations to a higher level.
Relations between the EU and Azerbaijan began in 1990 with the launch of the European Commission's support for CIS countries in the framework of the TACIS program.

The EU and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on partnership, which entered into force in 1999.

The sides have also cooperated within the European Neighborhood Policy since 2003.
In May 2010, Azerbaijani-EU relations entered a new phase with a partnership within the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership Program initiated by Poland and Sweden.

The Eastern Partnership is aimed at the political and economic rapprochement of six post-Soviet states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus - and the EU.

The program does not provide opportunities for EU membership, but involves facilitating the visa regime, energy cooperation and the introduction of free trade zones.


/Trend/