Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
Pope Francis stands for the diplomatic settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Vladimir Fekete, Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, said at a press conference in Baku Sept. 14.
Fekete added that the Catholic Church opposes war and urges to solve such conflicts peacefully. He said that the Catholic Church is not directly dealing with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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.
Fekete didn’t say whether the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be discussed during Pope Francis's visit to Baku.
Pope Francis's visit to Azerbaijan is scheduled for October 2.