The call for peace in Azerbaijan\u2019s Nagorno-Karabakh in the statement of Pope Francis in Yerevan calls to end Armenia\u2019s illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories, complete withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, including from Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, as well as to return Azerbaijani IDPs and refugees, who got subjected to bloody ethnic cleansing, to their native lands, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said in a statement June 27.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis\u2019 call for peace exactly in Armenia shows that this call\u2019s recipient is Yerevan itself, noted Hajiyev.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to hope that official Yerevan will draw conclusions from Pope\u2019s call for peace and will stop its aggressive and occupational policy soon,\u201d added the spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis\u2019 three-day visit to Armenia ended June 26.<\/p>\n
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.<\/p>\n
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.<\/p>\n
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The call for peace in Azerbaijan\u2019s Nagorno-Karabakh in the statement of Pope Francis in Yerevan calls to end Armenia\u2019s illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories, complete withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, including from Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, as well as to return Azerbaijani IDPs and refugees, who got subjected to bloody ethnic cleansing, … Continue reading Pope Francis\u2019 statement calls to end illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia<\/span>