Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. E.Huseynli / "I regret that the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (CIS) have not expressed their position towards the occupation policy of Armenia, and have not taken any measures in that direction," said Safar Abiyev, the Azerbaijani Defense Minister, during a meeting with the Russian Defense Minister, Anatoli Serdukov.
The official visit of the Russian Defense Minister to Azerbaijan began on 27 November. Serdukov will visit the Gabala Radar Station during the course of his stay in the country.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988, due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
The intense situation continues to exist in the region due to the occupation policy of Armenia. Four resolutions of the UN Security Council on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict have not been implemented.