Int'l organizations must reckon with Nagorno-Karabakh's Azerbaijani community: community's co-founder

"Organizations dealing with resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must reckon with us. We must organize our community so that international organization will learn our opinion and reckon with us," co-founder of the community and member of parliament Elman Mammadov said.

First head of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh public union was Nizami Bahmanov. The OSCE council recognized representatives elected from Nagorno-Karabakh and other representatives as interested parties in peace talks on March 24, 1992. Bahmanov represented Azerbaijani community at the peaceful talks held within the OSCE Minsk Group as a head of the Shusha Administrative Body.

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.

"The current situation we face about the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict requires us to take active steps," Mammaov said.

He said the community must make effort to be recognized internationally.

The community must make efforts so that the international community will recognize the Khojali tragedy Armenians committed in the 20th century, he said.

/Trend News/