Moscow, Russia, March. 24
By Orkhan Yolchuyev - Trend:
Alongside with Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russia wants to resolve such a difficult problem as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry March 24.
"The truthfulness of our aims has been proven," she said. "We want to resolve this difficult situation on a par with Azerbaijan and Armenia, but not other co-chairs."
Zakharova added that Moscow wants this problem to be removed from the agenda and the conflict to be resolved based on the international law.
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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.