Azerbaijan, Baku, March 6 / Trend, M. Aliyev /
The current state of the Nagorno-Karabakh situation can lead to war, head of the Austria-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Karl Ollinger said at a meeting in the Azerbaijani Parliament today.
He said that there is tension around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This situation must be resolved.
"The conflict must be resolved only through peaceful negotiations," Ollenger said.
The Azerbaijani head of the inter-parliamentary friendship group Javid Gurbanov said that Azerbaijan is ready to live in peace and friendship with all countries, including Armenia. The only condition is Armenia's rejection of its occupation policy.
"If the negotiation process fails, then, of course, we are ready for war to return our lands," he said. "The president has repeatedly said this. Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is not a topic of negotiations."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have been occupying 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.