An Armenian parliamentary commission on foreign affairs of the National Assembly has not approved the bill initiated by two Armenian MPs, Zaruhi Postanjyan and Hrant Bagratyan, on recognition of the illegal regime in Azerbaijan's occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said that the recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh region is inappropriate as it can interfere with the negotiation process, Trend reports.
The bill was supported only by the Heritage faction deputy Tevan Poghosian. MP from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Hamlet Harutyunyan voted against, News.am reports.
Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
