Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.27
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
The South Caucasus region will be more prosperous if the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is solved, France's former ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Meunier said, participating Trend Agency's "This Week in Focus" program.
The former ambassador said that one of the most sensitive issues in French-Azerbaijani relations is the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, adding that France pays great attention to this issue.
Meunier also reminded that there was a quite promising meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Paris in October 2014 with participation of French President Francois Hollande.
During that meeting, the presidents agreed on the road map on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Meunier further said that despite there was optimism towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict, it did not happen.
"But it is not a reason for us to be discouraged. Our co-chairs will continue to work on this," he noted.
Meunier said that the three countries [co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group] at the highest level are involved in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The political will of the conflicting sides have to decide the future not only of the two nations but also of the region, the diplomat added.
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.
Edited by SI
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