Expressing his concerns over the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he called on the British government to cooperate with the world community in finding solutions to the problem, AzVision.az reports.
The letter reads: "The area, often described in the media as "disputed," is an integral part of Azerbaijan. A ceasefire agreement was reached after two weeks of fierce fighting for Nagorno-Karabakh, the territory of Azerbaijan where Armenians lived with Azerbaijanis until 1988. At that time, the local Armenian population, at the instigation of Armenian nationalists, began to demand the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. In 1991, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh illegally agreed to establish an "independent" so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani citizens have become refugees and internally displaced persons following the heavy armed clashes".
"Although Armenia supports the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, it recognizes the area as Azerbaijani territory. Despite four UN Security Council resolutions calling for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied territories, the situation has remained virtually unchanged for 26 years. I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the news of the violation of the humanitarian ceasefire agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia on October 10 to allow for the exchange of prisoners and the recovery of the bodies of those killed in the conflict and on October 11 Armenia's missile attack on Ganja, Azerbaijan's second-largest city and other cities which were located completely outside the war zone. As a result, civilians, including children, were killed and injured", the letter reads.
Noting that it is time to adopt a resolution recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, along with protecting the rights of ethnic Armenian minorities, Lord Malcolm Bruce wrote: "The ceasefire reached on an international level only serves to prolong the conflict. As a person who works in Azerbaijan and has experience working with Azerbaijanis, I can say with confidence that Azerbaijan is a secular state with very peaceful and tolerant people. Many ethnic minorities live together in Azerbaijan, including Lezghins, Talysh, Kurds, Russians and Jews. Indeed, the Jews in this country have never faced with any conflict or concern with Azerbaijani Muslims for centuries. "Azerbaijan is a unique Muslim country inhabited by a large Jewish community."
"I urge the British government to use its influence to restore Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and achieve a lasting ceasefire and peace, in accordance with UN resolutions", Lord Malcolm Bruce said in a letter.
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