Baku, Azerbaijan, July 7
By Anakhanum Idayatova – Trend:
Constructive role of any state in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is welcomed, said Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova during a weekly briefing July 7.
“There are various formats in the conflict’s settlement – OSCE Minsk Group, direct dialogues with Azerbaijan and Armenia, and high-level meetings of Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents,” said Zakharova. “All these are effective mechanisms. So, a constructive role of any state in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s settlement is welcomed.”
A summit of Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian presidents, Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin and Serzh Sargsyan was held in St. Petersburg June 20 with participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
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.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum