Azerbaijan, Baku, April 16 / Trend A. Akhundov /
The OSCE Minsk Group must increase pressure on Armenia, Azerbaijani first vice-speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Ziyafat Asgarov said today.
"Unfortunately, the Minsk Group representatives' current visit to the region has not been marked by any innovations," he said. "So, this cannot continue. We have always said and now we insist on strengthening their pressure on Armenia."
He said that of course the delay in this issue in particular, poses a threat to the activity of the Minsk Group.
"The society has such an impression that they only make visits and are unable to commit any action," he added.
"We have repeatedly stated that the opportunity of resolving this conflict peacefully has not been exhausted," he said. "But if we see that Armenia is engaged in imitating the negotiations or avoiding them, then of course, Azerbaijan has the opportunity to liberate its occupied lands. We have sufficient military power."
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.