Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 15
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
The US position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not changed, says the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta.
“We support the OSCE Minsk Group’s activity,” he told reporters in Baku Sept. 15.
Cekuta also recalled that last week the US Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick discussed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the conflict’s resolution.
“We continue thinking that this conflict needs to be resolved, that there has to be a settlement found, that the sides need to come together for stability and wellbeing of everyone in the region,” added Cekuta. “We continue to work with sides.”
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.