Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19
By Jamila Jafarova - Trend:
Latvia believes that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved peacefully, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, said in an interview with Trend.
"Latvia is convinced that this long drawn out conflict must only be resolved by peaceful means and in accordance with international law," he said. "Looking from the perspective of Latvia's EU Presidency, I can say that Latvia fully supports the OSCE Minsk group in its activities."
"It is crucial to maintain direct high-level contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan in a conflict settlement process," he said.
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 US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.