Azerbaijan, Baku, April 26 / Trend, T. Hajiyev /
Our goal is to return to the native lands, and expectation from the ongoing negotiations on resolving the conflict is associated with only this, the head of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh region Bayram Safarov said in an interview with the official website of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.
Determining the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is possible only after the return of Azerbaijanis to this region and the Azerbaijani government's position on this matter is absolutely fair, Safarov said.
He said that the two communities, the Azerbaijani and Armenian, are able to live and work normally: "Ordinary Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh want to live by Azerbaijani laws; they have been waiting for this day for a long time. But the separatist regime - the insidious forces do not provide an opportunity for this. Of course, one should put an end to the separatist regime's activity to live peacefully. We believe in the Azerbaijani President's policy on resolving the conflict and hope that holding the meeting and talks will yield a positive result. Armenia should realize that it has no other chance, except through liberation of Azerbaijani territories from the occupation," Safarov 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 peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.