Azerbaijani delegation introduces amendments into NATO PA report on situation in South Caucasus

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“The report on the situation in South Caucasus was changed three times during the 52^nd session of NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) carried out in Québec (Canada),” Azerbaijani Parliament’s Deputy Speaker, head of the Azeri delegation at NATO PA Ziyafet Askerov is quoted by Azeri Press Agency as saying. He stressed that “issue of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity was the most important one for us in the report on South Caucasus prepared by UK deputy Frank Cook.” “The issue was mentioned superficially in the first draft report. We made our proposals in that connection. We made our proposals concerning the report’s second variant, too. As for the third variant, it satisfied us comparing with previous ones,” he stressed.  

According to Askerov, problems connected with the Azerbaijani economy, presence of more than 1mln of refugees and IDPs, deportation of 200,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia, construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum and Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway were present in the report. According to Askerov, “Armenians protested against giving certain number of refugees and IDPs, as well as dimensions of the occupied Azerbaijani territories.” “We provided in advance all official representatives of NATO PA with decisions concerning recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity adopted by international organizations. We demonstrated to NATO PA documents proving arrival of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh 150 years ago, as well as a photograph of a monument erected by them on the occasion. I believe it exerted big impact. If the separate issue of Azerbaijan is discussed in future, we will achieve adoption of a special NATO PA resolution,” the Azeri first deputy speaker stressed.          

According to him, instability of the situation in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transdnestr, and Nagorno Karabakh was reflected in 13^th clause of report of NATO PA Committee on Security Civil Control on cooperation with countries of the Black Sea basin.