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AZERBAIJANI AMBASSADOR: ARMENIANS TRY TO REPRESENT KARABAKH CONFLICT AS RELIGIOUS TO EUROPE
Trend
Feb 1 2012
Azerbaijan
Russia has recently proved that it wants the OSCE Minsk group to
promote the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Italy Vagif Sadikhov said in
an interview with the Italian Limes newspaper.
"Russian presidents have organised over 10 meetings between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents over the years. Unfortunately,
the Minsk group has worked since 1994 but hasn't achieved any tangible
results," inosmi.ru website quotes Mr Sadikhov as saying.
It should be remembered that the Armenian army occupies 20 per cent
of the Azerbaijani territories, the ambassador said.
"As a result of the aggression, ethnic cleansing took place in
Armenia where 250,000 Azerbaijanis, who had lived there for centuries
were forcibly driven out. Thus, it is possible to consider Armenia
a monoethnic state. On the other hand about 30,000 Armenians and
many interethnic Azerbaijani-Armenian families live in Baku," Mr
Sadikhov said.
"Ethnic cleansing and expatriation of Azerbaijanis living in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia, became the
second stage. The matter is that 70,000 people are forcibly displaced
persons, " he said.
Occupation of seven provinces around Nagorno Karabakh is the third
element of Armenian aggression.
"These people also became victims of aggression and deportation. Thus,
we have 250,000 people deported from Armenia, 70,000 from Nagorno
Karabakh and 700,000 from surrounding provinces. In total there are
about one million refugees and displaced persons," the diplomat said.
Mr Sadikhov said the situation hasn't changed since 1994 and this one
of the outrageous violations of human rights when there are four UNSC
resolutions on the issue.
"It is very important that all people should know about it because
our Armenian opponents try to represent this conflict in Europe and
in Italy in particular as one between small Christian Armenia and
large Muslim states, namely Azerbaijan and Turkey.
However among the victims killed by Armenians in Azerbaijan there
were not only Muslim Azerbaijanis but also Jews and Orthodox Russians.
Therefore, there has never been a religious component in the conflict.
Armenians try to represent the conflict in this way but in fact and
our position is very clear on this issue. The matter is a classic
conflict, based on the territorial claims of one state to other,"
the ambassador stressed.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 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.
Trend
Feb 1 2012
Azerbaijan
Russia has recently proved that it wants the OSCE Minsk group to
promote the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Italy Vagif Sadikhov said in
an interview with the Italian Limes newspaper.
"Russian presidents have organised over 10 meetings between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents over the years. Unfortunately,
the Minsk group has worked since 1994 but hasn't achieved any tangible
results," inosmi.ru website quotes Mr Sadikhov as saying.
It should be remembered that the Armenian army occupies 20 per cent
of the Azerbaijani territories, the ambassador said.
"As a result of the aggression, ethnic cleansing took place in
Armenia where 250,000 Azerbaijanis, who had lived there for centuries
were forcibly driven out. Thus, it is possible to consider Armenia
a monoethnic state. On the other hand about 30,000 Armenians and
many interethnic Azerbaijani-Armenian families live in Baku," Mr
Sadikhov said.
"Ethnic cleansing and expatriation of Azerbaijanis living in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia, became the
second stage. The matter is that 70,000 people are forcibly displaced
persons, " he said.
Occupation of seven provinces around Nagorno Karabakh is the third
element of Armenian aggression.
"These people also became victims of aggression and deportation. Thus,
we have 250,000 people deported from Armenia, 70,000 from Nagorno
Karabakh and 700,000 from surrounding provinces. In total there are
about one million refugees and displaced persons," the diplomat said.
Mr Sadikhov said the situation hasn't changed since 1994 and this one
of the outrageous violations of human rights when there are four UNSC
resolutions on the issue.
"It is very important that all people should know about it because
our Armenian opponents try to represent this conflict in Europe and
in Italy in particular as one between small Christian Armenia and
large Muslim states, namely Azerbaijan and Turkey.
However among the victims killed by Armenians in Azerbaijan there
were not only Muslim Azerbaijanis but also Jews and Orthodox Russians.
Therefore, there has never been a religious component in the conflict.
Armenians try to represent the conflict in this way but in fact and
our position is very clear on this issue. The matter is a classic
conflict, based on the territorial claims of one state to other,"
the ambassador stressed.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 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.