AZERBAIJAN EXPRESSES PROTEST TO INDIA: AMBASSADOR
Trend News Agency
April 4 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 April /corr. TrendNews S.Agayeva / Azerbaijan
expressed its protest to India, who voted against the Resolution on
Situation in Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan during the recent
session of the UN General Assembly.
The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan expressed its dissatisfaction
with the position of India in this regard, Azerbaijan~Rs Ambassador
to India, Tamerlan Garayev, reported to TrendNews by telephone from
Delhi on 4 April.
The Resolution highlights serious concerns that the armed conflict
in the Nagorno-Karabakh territory of Azerbaijan and its surrounding
regions is continuing to present threats for the international peace
and security and adversely affects the humanitarian situation in the
South Caucasus countries.
In addition, the Resolution requires an immediate, complete and
unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian Armed Forces from the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan.
Thirty-nine countries voted for and seven countries, namely Angola,
Armenia, France, Russia, the USA, India and Banuatu, voted against
the resolution with 100 members abstaining from the vote.
The note of protest has already been submitted to the Foreign Ministry
of India and we are currently awaiting a response, the Ambassador said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries appeared in 1988
due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani lands including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts. Since 1992 to the present
time, these territories have been under Armenian occupation. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are holding peaceful negotiations.