Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 23
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
The agreement on ceasefire reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia is the right way, but it does not solve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Ismail Alper Coskun, Turkey's ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Trend.
The occupation of Azerbaijan's territories is a serious problem, said the diplomat.
Coskun noted that if the conflict is settled within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity the ceasefire won't be necessary.
"In this case, each country will be able to live in peace within its internationally recognized borders," he said adding that then the countries of the region can cooperate for the benefit of their countries and peoples.
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.