MFA: Words of Cyprian foreign minister serves to promote Armenia's occupation policy

Baku. 31 May. REPORT.AZ/ Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) commented on thoughts of foreign minister of Greece part of Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulides concerning Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict worded during his meeting with Armenian defense minister.

Report informs, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hikmat Hajiyev told that words of Cyprus foreign minister concerning Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict contradict with obligations of his country taken in conformity with international law, Helsinki Final Act and other international documents and serves for promotion of aggressive and occupation policy carried out by Armenia: “His thoughts harm the process of settlement of the conflict through negotiation mediated by OSCE Minsk group co-chairs and establishment of sustainable peace in the region”.

Azerbaijani MFA official told that these thoughts don’t match with positions of European Union, OSCE and European Council, in which the Cyprus is member, conforming to international legal norms and principles: “European Union 2016 Global Strategy says: “Sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, inviolability of borders and peaceful settlement of conflicts are the main elements of European security. These principles are applied with regard to all states within and outside of European Union”.

Also with such a controversial statements the Cyprus foreign minister contradicts himself. We would like to note that in his speech on January 26 of this year at OSCE Permanent Council as a chairman of Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe he said that he strongly supports territorial integrity of Cyprus, principles of sovereignty and political independence of the state.

It also worth to note that the Northern Cyprus is the territory where Turks live as native people for centuries and they also have right of self-determination.

There are also some questions related to military cooperation between Cyprus and Armenia due to lack of transparency in this issue. We hope that European Union and OSCE will consider the issue within frame of their position related to military aspects of the conflict”.