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AZERBAIJAN URGES ARMENIA TO START TROOP WITHDRAWAL
news.az
May 3 2011
Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliyev has called on Armenia to start withdrawing
troops from the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding
districts.
He made the remarks at a press conference with visiting Lithuanian
President Dalia Grybauskaite.
"For many years the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has
remained unresolved. The OSCE Minsk Group has been working for
almost 20 years now, but without any practical results so far,"
the Azerbaijani president told the press conference.
Referring to an OSCE-led mission in October 2010 to parts of
Azerbaijani land occupied by Armenian forces, he said the mission's
report provided proof of Armenian aggression.
"Recently an OSCE field assessment mission visited the occupied
territories and drew up a report. The report clearly states that
all infrastructure has been destroyed in the occupied territories,
and cases of illegal settlement are obvious. There is a lot of
other evidence confirming Armenia's aggressive policy, attempts
to change the historical names of the regions and administrative
borders. Seven districts located outside the administrative limits of
the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are also under occupation. We
suffer from a policy of ethnic cleansing. One million Azerbaijanis
are refugees and IDPs in their native lands. About 20 percent of
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory is under occupation.
Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan."
Ilham Aliyev restated Azerbaijan's commitment to a resolution of the
conflict that respects Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
"Of course, the conflict must be resolved on the basis of the
principles and norms of international law. We hope that by
demonstrating a constructive approach to the OSCE Minsk Group
proposals Armenia will take a step forward and start to leave the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan. After that, the establishment
of peace in the region is possible. The conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is the main threat to regional security and stability. All
parties are interested in the resolution of this conflict as soon as
possible on the basis of international law."
President Dalia Grybauskaite pledged Lithuania's support for an
exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"Such conflicts lead to heavy losses for any country," she said. "They
have a very negative impact on spiritual values, relations and the
economy. It is extremely difficult to overcome these problems. You
need patience, an open approach and, of course, a peace-loving
attitude. Europe and the whole world wants a peaceful resolution of
conflicts. Lithuania is ready to provide you with all the help it
can as a member of the OSCE and European Union and also bilaterally."
From: A. Papazian
news.az
May 3 2011
Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliyev has called on Armenia to start withdrawing
troops from the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding
districts.
He made the remarks at a press conference with visiting Lithuanian
President Dalia Grybauskaite.
"For many years the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has
remained unresolved. The OSCE Minsk Group has been working for
almost 20 years now, but without any practical results so far,"
the Azerbaijani president told the press conference.
Referring to an OSCE-led mission in October 2010 to parts of
Azerbaijani land occupied by Armenian forces, he said the mission's
report provided proof of Armenian aggression.
"Recently an OSCE field assessment mission visited the occupied
territories and drew up a report. The report clearly states that
all infrastructure has been destroyed in the occupied territories,
and cases of illegal settlement are obvious. There is a lot of
other evidence confirming Armenia's aggressive policy, attempts
to change the historical names of the regions and administrative
borders. Seven districts located outside the administrative limits of
the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are also under occupation. We
suffer from a policy of ethnic cleansing. One million Azerbaijanis
are refugees and IDPs in their native lands. About 20 percent of
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory is under occupation.
Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan."
Ilham Aliyev restated Azerbaijan's commitment to a resolution of the
conflict that respects Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
"Of course, the conflict must be resolved on the basis of the
principles and norms of international law. We hope that by
demonstrating a constructive approach to the OSCE Minsk Group
proposals Armenia will take a step forward and start to leave the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan. After that, the establishment
of peace in the region is possible. The conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is the main threat to regional security and stability. All
parties are interested in the resolution of this conflict as soon as
possible on the basis of international law."
President Dalia Grybauskaite pledged Lithuania's support for an
exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"Such conflicts lead to heavy losses for any country," she said. "They
have a very negative impact on spiritual values, relations and the
economy. It is extremely difficult to overcome these problems. You
need patience, an open approach and, of course, a peace-loving
attitude. Europe and the whole world wants a peaceful resolution of
conflicts. Lithuania is ready to provide you with all the help it
can as a member of the OSCE and European Union and also bilaterally."
From: A. Papazian