Baku, Azerbaijan, March 10
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
Russia may act as a major mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, special representative of the Russian president, the country's former prime minister Viktor Zubkov told Trend March 10.
"One has to agree regarding the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the means of Russia," said Zubkov.
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 the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
He went on to add that now there is a very high level of trust between Azerbaijan and Russia, contacts of first persons are very frequent, there are also many other high-level visits.
The tensions between Russia and Turkey will have no influence on the South Caucasus, said Zubkov.
The remarks come in the wake of deterioration of relations between Turkey and Russia after downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by a Turkish warplane.
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