Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 19 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova /
Slovenia supports the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Technology Radovan Žerjav told Trend in Baku today.
"Slovenia would like this problem to be resolved by peaceful means," he said. "Of course, seeing all these terrible events, we regret."
He said that the theme of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been repeatedly touched upon at the talks during his visit to Baku.
"We live in the 21st century, and of course, these terrible events do not belong to the present situation," he said.
He added that Slovenia wants the conflict to be rapidly resolved. This will have a positive impact on the economic relations between the two countries.
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.