Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 24
Trend:
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he is concerned over incidents and violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
Stoltenberg made his remarks at a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Nov. 24.
An Armenian Mi-24 military helicopter flying 1,700 meters northeast of the Kengerli village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district attacked the Azerbaijani army positions on Nov. 12.
The Azerbaijani side shot down the helicopter.
"I am concerned about the recent incidents in the Nagorno-Karabakh. It emphasizes that there is no military solution to the conflict," Stoltenberg said.
He said "there is no alternative to a political solution."
"I do not see any direct role for NATO, but NATO supports the Minsk process to create conditions for a sustainable peaceful solution in Nagorno-Karabakh through negotiations," the NATO secretary general said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by CN