Baku, Azerbaijan, May 19
Trend:
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The discussions were held May 19 during the working visit of Azerbaijan's foreign minister to France.
The parties exchanged views on the results of the recent Vienna meeting on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the ministry.
The ministers reiterated the importance of the conflict sides' adhering to the ceasefire agreement and the necessity of speedy resumption of the full negotiation process in order to achieve a comprehensive political solution to the conflict.
Mammadyarov welcomed France's readiness to organize the next high-level meeting between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the shortest time possible.
The parties also discussed the issues on the agenda of the Azerbaijani-French relations.
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.