Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 5 / Trend M. Aliyev /
The civil society has the large work to establish a dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, member of "Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh" Public Union Rovshan Rzayev told Trend today.
"We are interested in establishing a dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh and must negotiate together," Rzayev said.
The negotiations on the conflict settlement must be established proceeding from the current requirements, Rzayev said.
"The main issue in the negotiations is to establish trust between the communities," he said. "We have made such an attempt in Germany, but the Armenians failed to attend the meeting. The main reason is the reluctance of the Armenian leadership to settle accounts with our compatriots living in the Nagorno-Karabakh."
The stereotypes of "ethnic discrepancy" claimed by the Armenian leadership have been destroyed. Public support is very important. The issue, known internationally as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict today, is an aggression against the Azerbaijani territorial integrity.
"The first meeting between members of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and members of the Armenian community was perceived negatively," he said. "However, it became clear that the dialogue is important."
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.