Azerbaijan, Baku, July 25 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Any actions taken in Nagorno-Karabakh harm peace and the negotiation process, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Political Analysis and Information Provision Department head Elnur Aslanov told media on Wednesday.
"We always say that Armenia must hold a more constructive position and take actions to change the situation and restore peace in the region, rather than to preserve the status quo," Aslanov said.
"EU and many other countries have condemned the show with so-called "presidential elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh," Aslanov said, adding that today the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh is being controlled from Yerevan.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent 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.
Responding to a question related to Azerbaijani poets arrested in Iran, Aslanov said that the issue between the two neighboring countries will be resolved on the basis of the neighbourhood policy.
"Unfortunately, our diplomats thus far were not able to meet with the arrested poets," he said. "Azerbaijan has always been interested in continuing good neighborly relations, developing strategic partnership with all countries. We have always supported the establishment and development of cooperation in terms of peace and tranquility with all countries."
Two Azerbaijani citizens Farid Huseyn and Shahriyar Hajizade were detained in Iran on May 2.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has sent five diplomatic notes to Iran's Foreign Ministry demanding to clarify the situation with the two missing men and to organize a meeting with them.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrest of two Azerbaijani citizens. According to its response to Azerbaijan's note, two Azerbaijani citizens are being accused of attempting to commit a crime.
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