Azerbaijan, Baku, 28 February / Trend corr K. Ramazanova/ Baku believes it is too late to speak about the participation of the Nagorno-Karabakh's Azerbaijani and Armenian communities in the negotiations being held between the two countries.
"A specific aspect of this conflict is that one country occupied the territory of another. First of all, the occupation should be stopped and the land should be returned to its rightful owner," the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told journalists in Baku on 28 February.
According to Azimov, only after the occupation has ended, will Azerbaijan be ready to launch negotiations with the Armenians residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijanis who are to return to the region.
The OSCE Minks Group's Co-chairs will visit Azerbaijan and Armenia in April.
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.