Baku, Azerbaijan, July 14
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva – Trend:
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is not connected with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and must be resolved in line with international law through negotiations, said Timur Urazaev, Kazakhstan’s extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Armenia, in his interview with Sputnik Armenia.
“We don’t link the Nagorno-Karabakh issue with the Organization in any way, because this is a regional conflict that must be resolved in line with international law,” noted the ambassador.
He said that Kazakhstan supports the conflict’s settlement through negotiations.
“I can only call on the parties to resolve the issue peacefully,” added Urazaev.
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.