Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 4
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
The US and Azerbaijan are interested in strengthening bilateral relations, Robert Cekuta, the US ambassador in Azerbaijan, told reporters Nov. 4.
Cekuta noted that the US Department of State, in its statement on elections, also declared that the United States wants to continue to work with Azerbaijan.
The ambassador further said the OSCE is a very important organization that was established to ensure security and stability throughout Europe.
Cekuta added that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is being solved within the OSCE framework, which will not allow the conflict to return to its original shape, saying that this is the importance of the OSCE's work.
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.