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Former Estonian FM calls European Parliament to respect the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is universally recognized as being Azerbaijani sovereign territoryâ€

07 April 2011 16:40 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Kristiina Ojuland (ALDE) MEP, Former Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke during the European Parliament debate on the European Neighborhood Policy on 6 April regarding the â€˜frozenâ€™ Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reminding the Parliament and President that the region is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan.
Ojuland went on to underline that: â€Whenever discussing the European Neighborhood Policy or other policies involving the South Caucasus, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Georgia should always be kept in mind.â€ Ojuland asked the European Parliament to respect the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is universally recognized as being Azerbaijani sovereign territory, although it is has now been occupied by Armenian military forces for about 20 years, causing 600,000 Azerbaijani internally displaced persons (IDPs). Kristiina Ojuland requested that this fact should always be reflected in all initiatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) welcomes this statement, and hopes that this sentiment will be reflected in the foreign policy of member states.
Ojuland MEP commented: â€œOnly when the territorial integrities recognized by the international community are kept in mind can we can move forward and achieve peace and stability in the South Caucasusâ€.
TEAS welcomes the vision of Kristiina Ojuland, and believes that this type of Parliamentary initiative will contribute towards a legitimate resolution of this â€˜frozenâ€™ conflict, based on international law, thus having a positive impact on the economical, social and cultural growth of the South Caucasus.