RIA Novosti, Russia
November 30, 2007
Azerbaijan says Nagorny Karabakh hostilities may resume at any time
BAKU, November 30 (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan has said that armed
clashes with Armenia over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh territory
could resume at any moment, an Azerbaijani Defense Ministry official
said on Friday.
"We are not laying claim to any country’s territory, but as long as
20% of Azerbaijani territory is occupied, Azerbaijan has the right to
take steps to liberate it, and no one will be able to take issue with
that," said Lt. Col Eldar Sabiroglu, head of the ministry press
service, referring to Nagorny Karabakh.
He said that either international organizations would ensure the
liberation of the occupied territory through peace negotiations, or
Azerbaijan would do so using its own resources.
The conflict between the two former Soviet republics over Nagorny
Karabakh first erupted in 1988, when the territory proclaimed
independence from Azerbaijan in order to join Armenia.
30,000 people died in the subsequent conflict.
A ceasefire was announced in 1994, and Nagorny Karabakh remained in
Armenian hands. However, tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have
persisted, with some 100 people having died since the ceasefire came
into effect.
Moscow recently withdrew from a Soviet-era military base in Georgia,
transferring military equipment and staff to Armenia, yet Azerbaijan
officials and media have accused Russia of subsequently deploying
these weapons in the Nagorny Karabakh conflict zone.
Russia has denied the charges.