Azerbaijan hopes that the stagnation in the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution will be overcome, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “Rossiya 24” TV channel reported on Tuesday. “Moscow and Baku considered the agenda of Russian-Azerbaijani relations, and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the biggest problem that Azerbaijan faced,” Mammadyarov said.
According to Mammadyarov, it is necessary to double or even triple the efforts to address this difficult, but resolvable conflict.
“The relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are very positive in terms of different areas. Our relations are developing in positive direction in terms of economic point of view and bilateral relations in accordance with the agreement on strategic partnership, signed by the presidents in 2008, and we act within this document,” Mammadyarov said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
/Trend/
