Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov.18 / Trend M. Aliyev /
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be solved if external pressure on the South Caucasus stops, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a press conference today.
"Iran hopes that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be resolved peacefully," Ahmadinejad.
He added that Iran welcomes the efforts of both sides to resolve the conflict peacefully and in accordance with international law.
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 four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions.