China hopes for proper solution to Azerbaijan conflict

China hopes the parties to the Azerbaijan conflict will find a proper solution that complies with international law, said a foreign ministry spokesman.

The Chinese government respects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and supports the UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang here Tuesday at a regular press conference.

Qin said China is willing to work with the international community to find a peaceful solution to the issue.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan populated mostly by ethnic Armenians. On Dec. 10 it held a referendum about a constitution.

Preliminary results from the region's election commission on Monday showed 98.6 percent of the voters approved the constitution. The region has 90,000 voters and voter turnout reached 87 percent.

Azerbaijan refused to recognize the results of the vote, calling the referendum "a farce."

The European Union and other international organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said they would not recognize the referendum, the Azerbaijan Foreign Minister said.

Source: Xinhua