Azerbaijan, Baku, July 9 /Trend S.Agayeva/
Baku is studying Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's proposal presented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday in Baku, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters on Saturday.
"We are carefully studying Medvedev's proposal and we will present our answer after thoroughly acquainting with them," he said.
He said the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs understand that the status quo prevailing in the region is unacceptable and it's time to Armenia to withdraw its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territory.
Mammadyarov once again called on Yerevan not to engage in PR in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and seriously deal with the conflict resolution.
"Today, the conflicting parties are working on a document that is based on the updated Madrid principles, and Armenia should understand that this work should be continued without emotion," he said. "First of all, Armenia should withdraw in the near future its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. This will lead to stability in the region and favors Armenia itself."
President Medvedev has prepared a message to Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, following discussions held in Kazan. The message includes proposals on the visions of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution that was recently discussed at the meeting of the three presidents with representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
"I am pleased to hand over these proposals to you," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. "I hope that you will react to the proposals after studying them."
Presidents Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sargsyan discussed the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in Kazan on June 24. The meeting - ninth in the last three years - ended without reaching agreement on the basic principles of settlement. A joint statement issued after the meeting noted the progress towards this goal.
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 7 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 the 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.