Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 25 / Trend /
One cannot say that we live in a united and free Europe without a peaceful and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, European Parliamentary Speaker Jerzy Buzek said today.
"Regarding the breakaway regions such as Transnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, I can only recall that the EU unequivocally supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Moldova and Georgia," he said in an interview with Radio Svoboda. "We cannot say that we live in a united and free Europe without resolving these problems and find a peaceful and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "
He added that these areas are a matter of great concern for the EU.
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.