Nagorno Garabagh

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry expresses regret and discontent in regards with the invitation of “С хлебом и солью" and "DeleYaman” KVN teams representing the illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by the International Union of the “Club of the Funny and Inventive People” (KVN) and "AMIK" creative television to the 28th International KVN Festival group taking place on 10-23 January 2016 in Sochi, the ministry’s press service told APA on Jan. 13.

The public of Azerbaijan, the numerous KVN fans and lovers of our country perceiving it as a provocative and biased action, protest the invitation of "С хлебом и солью" and "DeleYaman" teams to the 28th International KVN Festival, the ministry said.

“Azerbaijan has always supported the spirit, goals and objectives of the KVN movement, which contributes to promoting the peace and friendship among peoples and nations,” the ministry said. “The KVN team of our country traditionally was actively involved in KVN competitions and festivals and contributed to the development of this movement. The latest achievement of the Azerbaijani KVN team is a clear manifestation of it.”

“However, the invitation of the "С хлебом и солью" and "DeleYaman" teams representing the illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia to the 28th International KVN Festival serves for the purpose of politicization of culture and KVN, and does not comply with its goals and objectives,” the ministry added. “Such action also runs contrary to the spirit of strategic partnership relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.”

The foreign ministry stressed that the international community recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh region as an inalienable part of Azerbaijan and supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

““KVN” International Union and “AMIK” television creative community by allowing the participation of “С хлебом и солью” and “DeleYaman” teams in 28th International KVN Festival demonstrates non-friendly action towards Azerbaijan and enables violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan,” the ministry said, noting that this action serves for propagation and promotion of Armenia's aggression and the policy of occupation against Azerbaijan, as well as the illegal regime established as a result of bloody ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories and separatism.

“The organizers of this event are very well aware that 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territories have been occupied, and more than one million people have been expelled from their lands and have become refugees and internally displaced people as a result of Armenian aggression,” the ministry added.

The foreign ministry expressed hope that “KVN” International Union and “AMIK” television creative community will not allow the participation of such provocative teams which pursue the goal of propagating separatism and undermining the spirit of KVN which is based on promoting of friendship among peoples, prosperity and peace.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.

A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.

The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.

Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the CSCE (OSCE after the Budapest summit held in Dec.1994) Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, the US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.

Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh.