Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.18
By Sabina Ahmadova - Trend:
Azerbaijan's energy and infrastructure projects and the mutually effective cooperation system contribute to stability in the region and beyond, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.
He made the remarks during the meeting with Polish delegation led by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Tomasz Orlowski, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Sept.18.
During the meeting, the two sides expressed satisfaction with the current level of development of relations between Azerbaijan and Poland.
Orlowski pointed out that Poland highly appreciates Azerbaijan's role in ensuring stability and security in South Caucasus and expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for its contribution to NATO operation.
Mammadyarov, for his part, stressed that Sept.20 will mark the 20th anniversary of signing of the Contract of Century and the ceremony marking the start of the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion project and ground-breaking ceremony for TANAP will be held on the same day.
The minister also touched upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"As stated by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, the current status quo is inadmissible. Armenian armed forces should withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories for the settlement of this 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 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 the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.