Azerbaijan, Baku, March 7 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /
Special attention was not paid to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue at a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Four (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) and the member-countries of the EU program in Prague. However, the issue of unresolved conflicts was discussed, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule said in an interview with radio station Azatutyun.
"We have generally discussed the issue that the European Union claims to play a more active role in resolving such conflicts as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the Commissioner said. "First and foremost, of course, this is the promotion of the Eastern Partnership program. It includes the countries involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this respect, it gives an opportunity to find new ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries and open new doors."
He said the EU must take steps to strengthen the confidence.
"We have clearly stated that we are ready to become part of a comprehensive and full solution, whatever it was, of course, on the basis of the parties' consent," Fule said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia 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.