Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva – Trend:
Russia welcomes any public initiative aimed at peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, said the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
She made the remarks Feb. 3 while commenting on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Platform for Peace, created in Azerbaijan, according to a message on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
“We highly appreciate the role of public diplomacy in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Zakharova said. “Raising awareness within social circles about the need to peacefully seek mutually acceptable compromise solution to the conflict is the most important mission.”
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a direct threat to the security and stability of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Zakharova added.
For the purposes of contributing to peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Platform for Peace was established on Dec. 6, 2016. The Platform is an initiative of the citizens of Azerbaijan and Armenia who wish to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
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.