Baku, Azerbaijan, June 24
By Sabina Ahmadova - Trend:
Diplomatic efforts must be stepped up for the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Anne Brasseur said at the organization's summer session.
PACE stands ready to support this process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, according to Brasseur.
"At the same time, we also stand ready to continue working with parliamentarians, members of the assembly from Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations in order to foster dialogue and help build an atmosphere of trust, which is essential for making progress," she stressed.
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.
Edited by CN