Asim Mollazade speaks on Karabakh in Los Angeles

The conference, held at Loyola Marymont University, was organized by several leading US think tanks and universities, including the Atlantic Council, Los Angeles World Affairs Council, RAND Corporation, South California University and Chapman University.

Renowned experts from the think tanks, former US and Australian diplomats, professors from the universities of South California, Chapman, Stanford and Palo Alto and others attended the conference.

Azerbaijan was represented at the event by the chairman of the Democratic Reforms Party, MP Asim Mollazade, who delivered a speech at a panel discussion on Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Mollazade drew attention to the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijani territory by Armenia. He said international organizations are to blame for the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh has become a frozen conflict. 

Armenia is continuing its occupation of Azerbaijani territory as international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and others have failed to exert pressure on the country, Mollazade said.

Mollazade said it is not only Azerbaijani refugees that are suffering from the occupation. The people of Armenia too are suffering because of the occupation policy of their own government as the country is in deep throes of a social and economic crisis.  

Mollazade mentioned the atrocities committed against Azerbaijani civilians in the town of Xocali (also spelt as Khojaly). He said Armenia carried out systematic ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis. 

To restore peace in the region, first and foremost Armenia needs to develop as a truly independent state and pursue independent policies, Mollazade said.

"Otherwise, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict will not be resolved in the near future,” he said.