Details added after the second paragraph (the first version was posted at 14:15)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.26 / Trend S.Agayeva /
Azerbaijan has insisted on the withdrawal of troops from seven occupied regions to create an atmosphere of confidence between the conflict sides, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze on Wednesday.
"Only then we can proceed to preparation of a comprehensive peaceful settlement," Mammadyarov said.
Mammadyarov said no one expected that such a complex problem as a territorial conflict would be resolved in one night, but the Prague process envisages phased settlement.
As Azerbaijan previously stated, it is necessary to start work on a peace agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh and uncoordinated points of the negotiations, as it would demonstrate the work is underway in the right direction, he stressed.
According to Mammadyarov, seven occupied regions should be liberated, as Azerbaijani citizens living there are in danger.
"If Armenian troops are withdrawn from these regions, then no one will need snipers, and the danger will tail," Mammadyarov added.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.