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MP Ganira Pashayeva: Armeniaâ€™s occupation of Azerbaijani lands is main obstacle to the development of the whole region

27 June 2007 10:25 (UTC +04:00)

Ganira Pashayeva said that the recommendation on EBRDâ€™s strengthening its activity in the South Caucasus, contribution to the regional cooperation, political and macroeconomic stability in the region should be welcomed.
â€œEnergy projects important not only for the region, but also for Europe are being implemented in Azerbaijan. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development supported the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main pipeline, Shah Deniz gas field and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline projects. Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have recently concluded an agreement on construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. It will create conditions to travel from Europe to Central Asia, China via railway and is an important project. Cheap and high-quality railway will extend economic-trade relations among Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia and Caspian basin. Therefore, we welcome EBRDâ€™s future decision on financial support to the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway,â€ she said.
Ganira Pashayeva said despite occupation of 20 per cent of Armenian territories by Armenia, problems of over million refugees and IDPs Azerbaijan is developing rapidly. She said that Azerbaijan is of strategic importance for Europe.
â€œThe report says that Armeniaâ€™s economy deteriorates due to the political factors - the lack of cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey. I would like to clarify the issue. Azerbaijan has good and broad economic relations with all its neighbors. But of course Azerbaijan can not cooperate with Armenia, the country that continues to occupy 2o per cent of its territories. 15 years have passed, but Armenia ignoring the related resolutions of UN Security Council, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) is still not going to pull out its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Nearly one million Azerbaijani refuges and internally displaced persons have become homeless for 15 years. Recent negotiations between the two presidents [Azerbaijani and Armenian] in St.Petersburg failed to reach an agreement because of unconstructiveness of Armenian leadership. Moreover, official Yerevan puts obstacles to the operation of corridors and communications linking Azerbaijan with its part-Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic which pass through Armenia. As the result, Nakhchivan has been suffering isolation for more than 15 years. We can help Nakhchivan only through Iran and Turkey. Of course, at this background Azerbaijan can not possibly cooperate with Armenia. Can a country possibly cooperate with another one which has occupied its territories living one people as refugees and IDPs?â€ Azerbaijani MP underlined.
Ms.Pashayeva stressed official Yerevanis responsible for future development of Armenia, â€œAzerbaijani side states that it can establish multi-sided cooperation, including economic-commercial sphere with Armenia if it withdraws from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Armeniaâ€™s occupation of Azerbaijani lands is the main factor that puts obstacle to the development of the whole region.â€
The MP agreed to the rapporteur Carles Gasolibaâ€™s statement â€œRegional cooperation is important for the future economic, political and social development of the South Caucasus and the protracted conflicts hinders the regional cooperation.â€
â€œIt is a reality that the regional cooperation in the South Caucasus passes through the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia conflicts. In this context, the international organizations, including the Council of Europe should make stronger efforts for the solution of these conflicts. Otherwise, the opportunities of implementing the stability Pact for the South Caucasus as the rapporteur underlined would be brought to zero,â€ she underlined. /APA/