Azerbaijan, Baku, 5 November / Trend / Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev takes the Moscow Declaration of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders as the basis for a peace agreement.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenia's Serzh Sargsyan and Russia's Dmitry Medvedev signed a declaration at the end of their meeting in Mein Dorf castle near Moscow on 2 November.
Presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan decided to make joint efforts to normalize the situation in Caucasus and requested Foreign Ministers to make efforts to solve the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"The Moscow declaration of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia is the basis for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia," President Aliyev said at a news conference in Ankara. It is President Aliyev's first official visit to Ankara after his re-election.
The declaration calls for the settlement of the conflict in line with the principles and norms of international law and decisions and documents adopted in this respect, which will create favourable conditions for economic development and comprehensive cooperation in the region.
According to Aliyev, the negotiations must be continued in an effort to settle the conflict.
"The current situation in the region, intensification of Russia and OSCE Minsk Group's mediation gives a hope to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said.
Azerbaijan welcomes Turkey's efforts to achieve a fair settlement to the conflict, he said. "We can see the positive results of Turkey's active involvement in the conflict solution."
The relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey have been rich in precise projects - energy and transport projects, President said. "A lot has been done to implement the projects. And that proves the fact the goals we posed are being achieved through joint efforts and the will of the two states, which maintain fraternal relations," he said, adding that those projects would open new opportunities and will bring economic benefit to both countries and the entire region.
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.
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