Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.6
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Nagorno-Karabakh issue is a very important one both for the UK and the whole Europe, said the British Minister for European Affairs David Lidington, who is on a visit to Baku Nov. 6 at a meeting with the head of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Public Association Bayram Safarov.
The UK is a supporter of the peaceful settlement of the conflict, Lidington said, stressing the importance of negotiations in this direction.
British minister expressed satisfaction with his visit to Baku and the meetings with members of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the meeting, Bayram Safarov said that international organizations continue to treat the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the position of double standards.
He said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved in the near future in accordance with the principles of international law and within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. "We expect the international structures to show specific position on this issue," Safarov said. "Azerbaijan is an advocate of peace and we want peace both in our country, the South Caucasus region and the world."
The deputy of Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan Elman Mammadov, who took part in the meeting, said that the desire of Great Britain to take a closer involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is a positive phenomenon.
The meeting was also attended by members of the Board of the Community - The head of executive power of Khojavend Eyvaz Huseynov, the chairman of the Coordination Council of the Community Orhan Akbarov, head of the department for international relations Ayaz Salmanov and head of the department on intra-community issues Nadir Bayramov.
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 US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.