Azerbaijani Parliamentarian Sultan Mammadov stated at the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan that they have been calling on UNESCO to come and assess the state of cultural heritage for 30 years, but that has not happened, and now they expect an independent assessment from the international community.

“We do not want a war, we never wanted to, that is why we have been waiting for a peaceful solution to the conflict for 30 years. We have always acted in accordance with the UN resolutions,” he said, expressing confidence that peace will be established in the region.

He mentioned that they are guests in Armenia, they want to thank their colleagues in Armenia for their hospitality and warm relations.

“We hope to maintain warm relations with your country,” Sultan Mammadov said .

He noted that the visit of the Azerbaijani parliamentarians to Armenia is a sign of the beginning of warming of relations between the two countries.

In response to the questions of the Armenian representatives related to the captured Armenian citizens, the deputy mentioned that immediately after the war Azerbaijan handed over all the captives to Armenia.

“As for the accusations related to the detainees in the liberated territories and the cultural heritage monuments, I want to mention that immediately after the war all the captives were returned to Armenia. The issue of return of the detainees after the war to Armenia is currently being discussed. This is in line with all international norms and laws,” Mammadov said.

The MP stated that about 4,000 Azeris went missing during the first Artsakh war, about which there is no information.

Another Azerbaijani MP, Tahir Mirkishili, in his turn said that the countries of the region should respect the territorial integrity of neighboring countries, respect the rights of peoples.

According to him, it should be done so that there are no conflicts in the future.

“As a result of the wars, we had thousands of human losses both from Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have no revanchist aspirations and do not want to use force in the future. All that is already past, and now we must talk about the future. The peace agreement, for example, would be a good chance for the formation of future relations,” Mirkishili said.

He added that there are good opportunities for cooperation between the two countries within the EU, as well as within the “3 + 3” formats.