Georgia, Tbilisi, October 15 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /
Baku is waiting for a response from Yerevan in connection with the Madrid principles for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told Trend at a briefing in the Georgian Foreign Ministry today.
"It deals with the plan which was agreed by Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents at the meeting under the mediation of the United States, France and Russia in 2007," he said.
Azerbaijani minister stressed that this plan was submitted to the Azerbaijani side, which prepared the appropriate response in December last year. "However, the Armenian side has not replied yet. Let's see, a month left before the OSCE summit in Astana," he said.
The Azerbaijani side will give a final reply as a result of activity of the OSCE Appraisal Mission. "The intervention of mediators in resolving the conflict will create an excellent opportunity to achieve stability in the region", Minister said.
However, he noted that the Armenian armed forces must definitely leave the occupied territories and the refugees must return to their homes. "Peace and stability in the region mainly depend on conflicts settlement," he said.
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 U.S. - are currently holding negotiations to resolve the dispute.
Armenia has failed to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions stipulating the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.