Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.18 / Trend V.Zhavoronkova /
The U.S. is strongly convinced that there is no military solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns told journalists on Tuesday.
"The U.S. is committed that on highest level our government is doing everything what we can to renew and strengthen the Minsk Group process," Burns noted.
Burns said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was an important subject of his discussions in Baku today.
"We approached with a strong conviction that there is no military solution to the conflict," he said.
The U.S. approaches the conviction that the status quo is not sustainable, Burns added.
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.