Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 15 / Trend, V. Zhavoronkova /
Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Serik Primbetov assesses the joint statement adopted by the presidents of the parties to the conflict - Armenia and Azerbaijan - as well as the heads of the delegations of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries at the Astana summit as progress in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"It was not easy. The conflict lasted for many years. We understand all of its complexity," the ambassador said in the Trend Agency's conference room today.
He added that Astana tried to achieve progress during its tenure as the head of the OSCE.
"Everyone is waiting for a breakthrough in such conflicts. But they cannot be solved in one year," the diplomat said.
The OSCE summit was held in Astana on Dec. 1-2 under Kazakhstan's OSCE chairmanship. The summit brought together heads of states and governments of all OSCE member countries.
During the summit, the presidents of the conflicting countries - Armenia and Azerbaijan - as well as the heads of the delegations of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, issued a joint statement calling for a speedy resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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.