Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
By Anakhanim Hidayatova - Trend:
The US should pay more attention to Azerbaijan, as this country is its strategic partner, said Matthew Bryza, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, former US ambassador in Azerbaijan, the director of the International Centre for Defence and Security in Estonia.
"The US should play a more effective role in the South Caucasus, especially in terms of support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan on the basis of the negotiating process and international principles," Bryza told Trend Jan. 28.
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.