Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.23
By Jamila Jafarova - Trend:
NATO does not have a role in the peace process for the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said.
"I do not think a distinct NATO role would help the process ahead, rather to the contrary. NATO supports the Minsk process," Appathurai told Trend on Jan.23.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does receive high-level international attention, most recently when President Hollande of France hosted talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, he added.
Appathurai said the Minsk Group is co-chaired by the US, France and the Russian Federation and their engagement has been continuous over two decades.
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 the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.