Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 August /Тrend News, J.Babayeva/ Azerbaijan's Defence Minister Safar Abiyev said should Nagorno-Karabakh conflict not be settled peacefully, Azerbaijan may take other ways to liberate its occupied territory. "Azerbaijan will not stand the Armenian occupation any more," Abiyev said on 4 August, receiving Pakistan's newly appointed Ambassador to Azerbaijan Abdul Hamid.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December 1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and Nagorno-Karabakh's seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The countries keep on peace negotiating.
OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by USA, Russia, France is engaged in peace settling of the conflict.
Hamid said Pakistan is one of the countries which were the first to recognize the independent statehood of Azerbaijan. "Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan," said Ambassador.
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