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“HIGHLIGHTING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E251 on Feb. 16, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HIGHLIGHTING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT
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HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, as a result of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Armenian forces occupy the mountainous region of Nagorno Karabagh, as well as seven additional regions, resulting in a million refugees and internally displaced Azerbaijanis.
Located between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is an important partner and ally in the international war against terrorism. While bilateral cooperation on terrorism-related issues between the U.S. and Azerbaijan started well before September 11, they intensified with Azerbaijan offering unconditional support to the coalition and becoming the first Muslim country to send troops to Iraq.
While there have been several attempts to find a resolution to the conflict under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) Minsk Process, little progress has been made. However, the U.S. continues to work towards the end. According to a recent State Department statement: ``The United States does not recognize Nagorno-
Karabakh as an independent country, and its leadership is not recognized internationally or by the United States. The United States supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and holds that the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of negotiation between the parties. The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group process. We are encouraged by the continuing talks between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.''
On January 25, 2005, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, which concluded that ``considerable parts of Azerbaijan's territory are still occupied by the Armenian forces and separatist forces are still in control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.'' Additionally it asked the co-
chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to expedite an agreement on the issue and urged the parties concerned to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions by refraining from any armed hostilities and ``by withdrawing military forces from any occupied territories.''
Mr. Speaker, this shows the international community is ready for a resolution of the conflict. I welcome the initiatives by the Council of Europe and the statement by the U.S. Administration, and I urge my colleagues to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
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