European Parliament’s resolution is major success for Azerbaijani diplomacy

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 19 / Trend S. Agayeva / The European Parliament's new resolution on EU negotiations on an association agreement with Azerbaijan and Armenia is of course, great success of Azerbaijani diplomacy, political analyst, professor at Western University Fikret Sadihov said. "Despite the fact this resolution is not compulsory and binding, it is, however, the opinion of the European Community, leading countries which have re-emphasised the need to restore Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and called on Armenia to fulfil the previous resolution and liberate Azerbaijani occupied territories," he told Trend today. "This message is indicated in the text of the resolution. One should not read between the lines to understand it." The European Parliament adopted a resolution on EU negotiations on an association agreement with Azerbaijan and Armenia which reflects the respect for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, spokesman for Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told journalists on Wednesday. The resolution was adopted at a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It is noted that an associative agreement with Azerbaijan and Armenia will not be signed within the EU Eastern Partnership until the Azerbaijani occupied territories are liberated and pass to Azerbaijan's control and refugees return to their native land. The document also states that the occupation of the territory of one state by another is a violation of international principles and is contrary to the fundamental principles of the EU Neighbourhood Policy and harms Eastern Partnership programme. It also indicated the need to investigate the facts on illegal settlements in Azerbaijan's occupied territories. He said that this is another important success of Azerbaijani diplomacy that culminated in the recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity by European leading countries. "Another issue is that Armenia as always, will get out of a difficulty and try to create new obstacles," he said. "It is unlikely to fulfil these appeals." He added that these appeals have been previously made to Armenia. "The heads of leading countries called on Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani occupied territories at the G8 summit in L'Aquila. "The day, when the resolutions and decisions which will oblige Armenia to liberate Azerbaijani territories and withdraw its troops, come to its senses and get on the path of civilised development is near," the analyst said. 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 the 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. The Eastern Partnership Program is a Polish-Swedish initiative under the EU Neighbourhood Policy aimed at improving EU relations with six former Soviet countries Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine and Armenia. The programme envisages the allocation of 600 million euro to these countries until 2013 to strengthen state institutions, control borders and help small companies. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az