Question: Yesterday Azerbaijan raised an issue of "Current Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan" in the UN. How would you comment on this move?

Answer: Indeed, this issue has been raised in the UN General Committee. While it has not enjoyed any significant support, it has received 9 pro and 14 abstained votes from 28 member states. The countries that voted in support of the issue included mostly members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Ukraine.

We view Azerbaijan's move as yet another attempt to divert the attention of the international community from the core issue of the conflict, i.e. the status of Nagorno Karabagh.

We should also note that in a statement made on behalf of OSCE Minsk Group, France's representative stated that the UN General Assembly is not an appropriate forum for discussing this issue. He further noted that Azerbaijan's move to introduce a new item on the negotiations agenda might have a detrimental impact on the peaceful regulation process.