Armenia-Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
(content privided by the Embassy of Azerbaijan
in Washington, DC)
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan
has been recognized by UN and internationally
within its borders, including Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenia, the only country, which has not recognized
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, claiming
independence for or unification with Nagorno Karabakh,
started a conflict with Azerbaijan in 1988 and
waged a full-fledged war in 1991.
The Armenian aggression resulted in occupation
of Nagorno Karabakh and 7 other regions of Azerbaijan,
leaving around one million Azerbaijanis as refugees
and displaced people.
Even though the war ended with Russia-brokered
cease-fire in 1994, it was the military assistance
from Russia, including $1 billion in illegal arms
transfers, which significantly contributed to
Armenian “success”.
International community reacted to the occupation
of Azerbaijani lands by four UN Security Council
resolutions of 1993, (S/RES/822,
S/RES/853,
S/RES/874,
S/RES/884)
demanding withdrawal of Armenian forces from the
occupied territories. NATO, OSCE and other international
organizations also repeatedly called for restoration
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, which
were ignored by Armenia.
This blunt disrespect to international law by
Armenia, violations of its commitments before
the international organizations, was once again
reflected in a resolution 1416 and recommendation
1960 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe in February 2005. The resolution clearly
stated that “considerable parts of the territory
of Azerbaijan are still occupied by Armenian forces
and separatist forces are still in control of
the Nagorno-Karabakh region”. The recommendation,
in its turn, urged the withdrawal of military
forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The United States has always recognized the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. “The United States
does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent
country, and its leadership is not recognized
internationally or by the United States. The United
States supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
and holds that the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh
is a matter of negotiation between the parties”,
says the latest fact sheet by the Department of
State of January 2005.
As a co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group (functioning
since 1992), the U.S. mediates the peace process,
as well as ongoing talks between Presidents and
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and
Azerbaijan remains committed to a peaceful resolution
of the conflict, which preserves its territorial
integrity.
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