Azerbaijan , Baku, June 23 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /
A meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, with the participation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, will play a landmark role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"We expect that Baku and Yerevan will respond constructively in Deauville on May 26 to the joint statement made by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries - the Russian Federation, the U.S., and the French Republic. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia must show political will during the Kazan summit to complete discussion of the Basic Principles project pertaining to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict", the foreign ministry said.
The document to be discussed in Kazan is the result of long negotiations and joint effort of all parties and co-chairing countries. It is a real foundation for further advancement and preparation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the report said.
"We hope that on the basis of this document, the parties will reach an agreement for peace, prosperity and development throughout the region," the statement said.
A trilateral meeting between the Azerbaijani, Armenian, and Russian presidents will be held in Kazan on June 24.
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 territories claimed by 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 Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.