Baku, Azerbaijan, July 23
By Anakhanim Khidayatova - Trend:
The US is retaining confidence in the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Richard Hoagland, the US principal deputy assistant secretary of State, told reporters in Baku July 23.
Hoagland is on a visit to Azerbaijan to meet with the country's officials to discuss the issues of bilateral relations.
He said the parties must settle the issue on the basis of mutual respect.
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 the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.