Tural Ganjaliyev talks "Pan-Armenian Games" held on occupied Azerbaijani lands

The head of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Tural Ganjaliyev issued a statement in connection with the holding of "Pan-Armenian Games" in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Trend reports referring to the community.

"According to the information circulating in Armenian media, the so-called Pan-Armenian Games were opened in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan on August 5, 2019. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke during the "ceremony" attended by representatives of Armenia and the illegal regime established on Azerbaijani territories. Pashinyan has once again demonstrated that the country he represents is pursuing an aggressive policy against Azerbaijan. He did not hesitate to openly declare its aggressive policy, and that Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized by international organizations and the international community as an integral part of Azerbaijan, belongs to Armenia," the statement reads.

According to Ganjaliyev, Pashinyan, who tried to pass himself off as an "adherent of democratic values” when he first came to power, at first created impediments for the negotiation process through his contradictory statements, but showed his true colors in his last speech and unequivocally declared that Armenia is an aggressor.

"His statement actually testifies to the true goal of Armenia pursuing an aggressive policy, and the "right to self-determination", which the criminal regime in Nagorno-Karabakh constantly refers to, is nothing more than an attempt to disguise it," said the statement.

"The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan states in connection with the "games" that they are held in places where the rights of the Azerbaijani people, who were expelled from their homes and subjected to ethnic cleansing, are violated. In this case, the holding of these "games" adds to discrimination against Azerbaijanis, which is absolutely unacceptable,” the statement reads.

According to Ganjaliyev, holding sports and other joint events should not be a problem, but only after the restoration of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and the return of hundreds of thousands of expelled Azerbaijanis to their homes.

"The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has always emphasized in its statements that the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh jointly participated in sports in peace times, prior to the military aggression of Armenia," he said.

"Being the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, we urge the Armenian community to free themselves from the control of the criminal regime under whose oppression they live and accept our promise of the joint residence of both communities in a fair and lasting peace within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," the head of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh concluded.

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, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.