Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 6
By Saba Agayeva - Trend:
Switzerland will support the peaceful talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during its upcoming chairmanship in the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said at a meeting with Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on Friday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported.
The meeting was held as part of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, according to the information.
Switzerland took over the chairmanship in the OSCE from Ukraine.
Mammadyarov stressed the need for Armenian armed forces' withdrawal from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to achieve progress in the peace process.
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.