TREND NEWS AGENCY
17 April 2010
Baku /Trend, A.Huseynbala/ Vice Speaker of Azerbaijan Parliament, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Bahar Muradova met in Baku with the head of the Italian delegation to the organization Riccardo Migliori.
"Deputy chairperson of the Parliament talked about the history of friendly ties between the two peoples, the similarity of culture, and said that through the efforts of two heads of state, the relationship rose to the level of strategic partnership," the press service of the Parliament told Trend.
Muradova noted the special role of inter-parliamentary ties in the development of cooperation between the two countries. According to the deputy speaker, the lack of solution of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict hinders the dynamic development of Azerbaijan, as well as progress in the region.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - 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 region and the occupied territories.
The head of delegation to OSCE PA thanked the Italian government and parliament for the position of official Rome in the Karabakh issue. Muradova told the guest about the activities of the Azerbaijani parliament, the legal framework, cooperation with international organizations, as well as cooperation within the OSCE.
Migliori shared his impressions of participation in an international conference held in Baku on "Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan in 2010: more democratic, more transparent." According to him, holding such an event is an obvious testimony to the determination of the Azerbaijani state and government to hold transparent, democratic and free elections.
Migliori once again confirmed that his country supports the constructive position of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. According to him, all the conflicts in the world, and particularly in the South Caucasus, present a serious threat to international security.
Migliori mentioned the need for the development of parliamentary diplomacy to achieve a fair solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
