Azerbaijan, Baku, July 16 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Azerbaijan will continue fighting to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during the upcoming elections. The country will continue its efforts in this direction, ruling New Azerbaijan Party Deputy Chairman Ali Akhmadov told media.
"It is time to end the occupation of Azerbaijani territories," he said. "Patience has been exhausted. In this context, one can expect significant results from the meetings in Almaty."
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Edward Nalbandian are expected to meet and discuss the conflict in Almaty at the OSCE Ministerial Council July 16-17.
"We expect that the negotiations in Almaty will go down in history as an important stage in the resolution process," Akhmadov said.
He added that Azerbaijan previously proposed a phased model for settling the conflict.
"Finally, these proposals were reflected in the updated Madrid principles," Akhmadov said. "This package of documents reflects Azerbaijan's interests. We hope the conflict will be resolved in the nearest future."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent 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 United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.