Azerbaijan, Baku, May 20 / Trend A. Taghiyeva /
Azerbaijan's territory will not be used as a base for a military strike on Iran by Israel or the U.S, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said in an interview with the Egyptian media today.
During his official visit to Egypt last week, Abdullayev gave an interview to the Egyptian newspapers and news agencies Al-Youm Al-Sabia, Al-Ahram, Dostor Al-Asli and Tahrir News.
"Azerbaijan hopes Egypt will continue supporting the country over the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," he said.
"Azerbaijan is able to liberate its lands by military means, but we do not want bloodshed and hope for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement by diplomatic means," he added.
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.