Deputy speaker: Azerbaijan to use all means to liberate lands

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 9 / Trend M. Aliyev / Azerbaijan will use all possible means and will even if necessary resort to military actions to liberate its lands, Azerbaijani First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov said at a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier in Baku today. "OSCE, the UN Security Council, the European Union, Council of Europe and other influential international organizations are willing to help in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for 20 years," he said. "We must understand one thing. The problem will not be resolved till the difference between aggressor and those who have experienced this aggression is determined. The most important thing is to increase pressure on Armenia as an aggressor country. Otherwise, Armenia will continue ignoring the decisions of international organizations. It will not fulfill them either." OSCE Secretary General appreciated the relations between Azerbaijan and OSCE. Continuing status quo on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can not continue. It must be changed, he said. Zannier has also expressed concern about the events occurring at the contact line of the troops. He stressed the OSCE has prepared a proposal to strengthen monitoring at the contact line and withdraw snipers. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az