Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 23
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
The Armenian side will attend a meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, to be held later in Paris in late October with a constructive attitude, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told reporters Oct. 23, News-Armenia said.
"Yerevan appreciates French President Francois Hollande's initiative," he said.
"The meeting in Paris will be the second summit, initiated by the co-chairing countries during the last three months," Nalbandian said. "This shows the determination of co-chairing countries to continue common efforts to ensure progress in the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."
President Hollande previously voiced the initiative to hold a meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries 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 four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
edited by CN