Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.25
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
No meeting is planned between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at this time, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick, told Trend Apr.25.
"While we do not have any meetings of the ministers planned at this time, we are in constant contact with them to lay the groundwork for the sides to begin a negotiation on a settlement [of the conflict] under the auspices of the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs," he said. "We are ready to meet with the ministers at any time."
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.
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