Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 23
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
Russia is interested in settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as soon as possible, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing Nov. 23.
"Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the priorities for Russia,” she said. “We very much want the conflict to be resolved and the sooner the better.”
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.