Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 20 /. Trend A.Taghiyeva /
Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to promote the role of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through consultations with each other, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Joshgun said in an interview with Trend on Wednesday.
"Turkey and Azerbaijan are not going to give up on the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The countries are holding consultations regarding what can be done to stop the Armenian occupation in the shortest possible time," Joshgun said.
He said the international community and the OSCE Minsk Group in particular are passive in this matter as there is no open military conflict in the region. Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to explain to the world that the absence of warfare is not a guarantee of peace and security, clashes occur periodically, resulting in losses of the Azerbaijani and Armenian army.
The Ambassador noted that the stability in the region can only be achieved after the end of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.
"The occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia is the main obstacle to the normalisation of the situation in the region. Development of the entire region can be considered only after ending the occupation of Azerbaijani lands," Joshgun said.
Turkey has always supported and continues to support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict issue and this support is the result of close relations between the countries, he said.
The Ambassador said that despite the fact that all international organisations and in particular the UN, support the just position of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, there has been no progress in the issue for more than 20 years.
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.