Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov 29 /Trend/
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received a delegation headed by EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Philippe Lefort, the Foreign Ministry said.
The sides expressed satisfaction with the expansion of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.
They exchanged views on the processes taking place in the region. Energy projects of regional significance were discussed; the importance of Azerbaijan for the EU was stressed.
Elmar Mammadyarov, referring to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, said that if Armenia accepts proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group, it must agree to sign a comprehensive peace agreement.
The Foreign Minister also informed Lefort that if Khojaly airport is commissioned it will be a serious blow to the peace process.
The minister recalled that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs also support this stand.
Elmar Mammadyarov said the main problem in the settlement of the conflict is the presence of the armed forces of Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
Philippe Lefort stressed the importance of contacts between the two communities for peace.
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.
