Details added (first version posted on 16:25)
Moscow, Russia, May 12
By Orkhan Yolchuyev - Trend:
A meeting of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan is planned to be held next week in Vienna, Austria, said Mariya Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry.
She made the remarks answering Trend correspondent's question on Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the briefing in Moscow May 12.
Zakharova said that the meeting is planned with the participation of foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries - Russia, France and the US.
The meeting's aim is to try to strengthen the ceasefire regime, to reduce the military risks, and to agree to strengthen concrete confidence-building measures, noted Zakharova.
The Russian official added that the meeting is only being planned.
"We proceed from the assumption that such a meeting can and should contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the zone of conflict and to create conditions for the resumption of the negotiation process aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement," said Zakharova.
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.
Edited by SI