Conference on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict kicks off in Baku
Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be in line with with the international law. The remark was made at a Baku conference entitled “The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: main obstacles and prospects of the settlement. View from Armenia and Azerbaijan” on November 8.
Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be in line with with the international law. The remark was made at a Baku conference entitled “The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: main obstacles and prospects of the settlement. View from Armenia and Azerbaijan” on November 8.
In his opening speech President of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum Rauf Zeyni said that the conference has a critical role in resolving the conflict and is carried out for the first time in the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated its commitment to the peace process, Zeyni stressed. He also expressed confidence that the two people want to compromise for bringing peace in the region. “This conference is just the first step on the way to peace,” Zeyni noted.
The event was attended by well-known Armenian human rights activist Vahe Avetyan, Azerbaijani professor Kamil Salimov, political analyst Rasim Agayev, as well as the head of the Intra-National Liberation Movement Organization Vahan Martirosyan, who asked for political asylum in Azerbaijan.
“Humanism is the foundation on which peace can be built between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Vahe Avetyan said at the conference. He noted that he was warmly welcomed in Azerbaijan.
“I arrived a week ago and called this visit my personal hajj. I am here not only as a politician, but also as a writer, as a person. I wanted to come and bow before the Khojaly genocide memorial, the bright memory of innocent people,” Avetyan said.
He mentioned that the conflict should be resolved between the Azerbaijanis and Armenians without intermediaries.
“I dream of the two countries living in peace. I dream of a cultural exchange. We, as public organizations, can help our governments to resolve the conflict,” Avetyan noted. He also mentioned that it is time to resolve the long-standing issue.
Following the conference, Avetyan told Trend that he sees the solution of the conflict in granting Nagorno-Karabakh a high degree of autonomy within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The human rights activist said he visited Baku on his own initiative and believes in effectiveness of his activities in the settlement process.
“I would not have wasted a single second of my time if I was not sure of the result. I believe in the success of my mission,” Avetyan noted.
The head of the Armenian Intra-National Liberation Movement Organization Vahan Martirosyan also spoke at the conference. “The persons, who brazenly hold power in Armenia, who committed genocide in Khojaly, are now committing genocide against the Armenian people,” he stressed.
He noted that the Armenian authorities conceal from their people that the Armenian Church has been preserved intact in Baku, and 30,000 Armenians currently live in Azerbaijan. “I have had an opportunity to meet with them,” he said.
Martirosyan emphasized that the situation is the opposite in Armenia – mosques are destroyed, history is rewritten. “Armenian media does not report about this event today,” he noted.
He also noted that there is no Armenian who can in all honesty say that the war has brought them benefits, except for the ruling elite, that does not even include 500 persons. “They profit from this conflict,” Martirosyan added.
Doctor of law, professor Kamil Salimov, for his part, noted that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be in line with international law.
“We better abandon discussing the problems of the past and more specifically plan for the future,” he said.
Salimov reminded that the negotiation process began in 1991, and despite the creation of the OSCE Minsk Group 24 years ago, no result has been achieved so far.
“Conflict is dealt by a number of international organizations and all confirm the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and stand for a peaceful solution to the conflict. We always refer to international law, we must adhere to international standards,” he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the largescale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.