Baku calls on Yerevan to put up with Azerbaijan's UNSC membership

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 5 / Trend S. Aghayeva / It's time for the Armenian leadership to put up with the nonpermanent membership of Azerbaijan in the UN Security Council and to learn constructivism and pragmatism, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend on Thursday. "A constructive approach is an effective approach aimed at achieving concrete results, which is characteristic of Baku in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution. Populist statements of this kind are nothing but rhetoric for the sake of rhetoric," said Abdullayev. The country can not move forward and develop using such methods, he said. Azerbaijan discredits the UN Security Council and constantly increases armaments, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian said on Thursday at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Audronius Azubalis, the Armenian media reported. "I think the Armenian MPs, being in Baku saw what the real progress is as a result of efficient and wise approach of authorities. Progress, which Azerbaijan has reached is an indicator of the leadership's care about the future of the country and its people", said Abdullayev. He said Armenia should learn a serious lesson from this and stop deceiving its people and misleading the international community. "The authorities shouldn't live for today, but worry about the future. By occupying foreign territory and committing ethnic cleansing, turning a million people into refugees and internally displaced persons and, moreover, continuing to destroy the cultural heritage in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Armenia has no moral right to accuse someone of something," said Abdullayev. He stressed that Azerbaijan is a strong state, which is the guarantor of security for its people. "In a situation where security and stability in the region are threatened by Armenian occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, Azerbaijan has full right based on international law, to strengthen its defense capability," Abdullayev noted. 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