Tweet
LATVIAN EX-PRESIDENT: NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLVABLE
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 5 2013
5 September 2013, 18:20 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolvable and should be settled
peacefully, former President of Latvia Vaira Vike Freiberga told
journalists in Baku, on September 5.
Latvia's ex-president is on a visit to Azerbaijan to participate at a
joint high level meeting of Nizami Ganjavi International Centre and
Club of Madrid, which was organized with the support of the State
Committee for Work with Diaspora.
According to Vike Freiberga, the prime direction of the work of the
Nizami Ganjavi International Centre is the propaganda of ideas of
tolerance and co-existence.
"The conflicts harass society. Refugees cannot return their homeland
for years," she said.
Talking about the existing conflicts in the region and their
settlement, Vike Freiberga said that one of the main topics of today's
meeting is the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to date.
"Many in Latvia used to say the country doesn't have any chance
to restore its independence. However, this happened when the USSR
collapsed, and many things changed and borders appeared, though
there were none previously. Conflicts can be resolved when nations
understand how much they lose due to them. The conflict is resolvable
and it should be done peacefully," Latvia's ex-president said.
She also added that Azerbaijan has always been a reliable friend
of Latvia.
Vike Freiberga noted that Azerbaijani and Latvian officials and
businessmen organize mutual visits. She pointed out that there are
enough favorable prospects to develop various spheres between the
two countries.
The Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) and the Club de Madrid
opened a High Level Preparatory Meeting for the "Shared Societies
Forum 2014" to be held in Baku next year.
The event, supported by the Azerbaijan State Committee for the Work
on Diaspora, is attended by former heads of state and government of
Latvia, Finland, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and officials of some
influential international organizations.
The two-day meeting will debate preparatory actions for the forthcoming
Forum, and also discuss settlement of the conflicts in the South
Caucasus, involvement of women in active social life, intercultural
and interfaith dialogue, the Millennium Development Program after
2015 and other topics.
NGIC and Club de Madrid also plan to organize a Board Meeting. The
event will see the adoption of an appeal to UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon and the UN General Assembly.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/59079.html
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 5 2013
5 September 2013, 18:20 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolvable and should be settled
peacefully, former President of Latvia Vaira Vike Freiberga told
journalists in Baku, on September 5.
Latvia's ex-president is on a visit to Azerbaijan to participate at a
joint high level meeting of Nizami Ganjavi International Centre and
Club of Madrid, which was organized with the support of the State
Committee for Work with Diaspora.
According to Vike Freiberga, the prime direction of the work of the
Nizami Ganjavi International Centre is the propaganda of ideas of
tolerance and co-existence.
"The conflicts harass society. Refugees cannot return their homeland
for years," she said.
Talking about the existing conflicts in the region and their
settlement, Vike Freiberga said that one of the main topics of today's
meeting is the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to date.
"Many in Latvia used to say the country doesn't have any chance
to restore its independence. However, this happened when the USSR
collapsed, and many things changed and borders appeared, though
there were none previously. Conflicts can be resolved when nations
understand how much they lose due to them. The conflict is resolvable
and it should be done peacefully," Latvia's ex-president said.
She also added that Azerbaijan has always been a reliable friend
of Latvia.
Vike Freiberga noted that Azerbaijani and Latvian officials and
businessmen organize mutual visits. She pointed out that there are
enough favorable prospects to develop various spheres between the
two countries.
The Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) and the Club de Madrid
opened a High Level Preparatory Meeting for the "Shared Societies
Forum 2014" to be held in Baku next year.
The event, supported by the Azerbaijan State Committee for the Work
on Diaspora, is attended by former heads of state and government of
Latvia, Finland, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and officials of some
influential international organizations.
The two-day meeting will debate preparatory actions for the forthcoming
Forum, and also discuss settlement of the conflicts in the South
Caucasus, involvement of women in active social life, intercultural
and interfaith dialogue, the Millennium Development Program after
2015 and other topics.
NGIC and Club de Madrid also plan to organize a Board Meeting. The
event will see the adoption of an appeal to UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon and the UN General Assembly.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/59079.html