Armenia to participate at Baku 2015 European Games

/AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Armenia will take part in the European Games 2015 in Baku, Azerbaijan, European Olympic Committees (EOC) President Patrick Hickey said in Bangkok on November 5, western media reported.

The first European games will bring together more than 6,000 athletes to compete in 20 sports on June 12-28, 2015.

Armenia's participation at Baku 2015 was in doubt because of the years-long Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between the two South Caucasus countries that began in 1988 when Armenia made groundless territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Hickey, along with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, met the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan last month.

The EOC head said Armenia will take part in the European games in Baku next year, despite the ongoing conflict between the neighboring countries.

"All the problems have been resolved and they have agreed to participate in the games next year," Hickey said.

Azerbaijan's Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov earlier announced that Azerbaijan will ensure the Armenian delegation's security.

He added that the Azerbaijani side is also ready to resolve all issues regarding visas.

"We guarantee the provision of security and settlement of visa issues at the state level," he said.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

The large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.