Azerbaijan urges US to support its territorial integrity

Amid the diplomatic tough talk and sanctions that have been imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea, Azerbaijan has this week accused Washington of "double standards and hypocrisy" over its annexed territories, Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding provinces.

These regions of Azerbaijan have been occupied by Armenia for 24 years in a clear violation of international law but, says Azerbaijan MP Elkhan Suleymanov. The United States ignores this breach of its territorial integrity and the suffering of one million displaced people.

In a letter to U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner, Suleymanov called on the U.S. to afford Azerbaijan's territorial integrity the same level of diplomatic concern it is presently giving to Ukraine.

"A law is a law and should never be interpreted differently for different countries. Azerbaijan has almost one fifth of its territory under occupation for 24 years by Armenian soldiers, who control and do as they please in Nagorno-Karabakh," Suleymanov wrote.

"Where are the sanctions against Armenia?" he asked, as the world steps up the diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

Suleymanov pointed out that rather than punish the aggressor, it is Azerbaijan that has been punished by the U.S. via the controversial Section 907, which bans American support for Baku. In his letter he called for this to be repealed.

He urged the U.S. Congress "to show the same support to Azerbaijan as the statements and events supporting Ukraine and its territorial integrity, to make efforts to remove the problematic Section 907, and to respect the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council," he wrote.

ANN.Az