Details added (first version posted on 13:14)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 16
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a priority for Russia, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing Nov. 16.
“This issue is one of the priorities for us, because we are talking about our neighbors,” said the spokeswoman.
Zakharova noted that Russia closely cooperates with other co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and continues to assist the conflict parties in search of peaceful, mutually acceptable solutions.
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.