Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3
By Seymur Aliyev - Trend:
The issue of Nagorno-Karabakh is to be included in the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit that is to be held in Wales September 4-5. This was reported by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made the statement after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in Baku Sept. 3.
During the upcoming NATO summit Turkey plans to recall the importance of fulfilling NATO promises given to Azerbaijan.
"This is the right of Azerbaijan and the promises given to the country must be fulfilled," he said. "Turkey is ready to show determination here."
President Erdogan added that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a priority for Turkey and testifies to the level of bilateral relations between the two countries.
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 U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.