Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.8
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
US welcomes the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers held in Vienna Dec.6, Harry Kamian, Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i., to the US Mission to OSCE said during the 24th OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Vienna Dec. 8.
He said the US supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to find a lasting solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“We welcome the December 6 meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and issuing of a statement yesterday by the heads of delegations of Minsk Group co-chair countries. We are pleased by commitments made by presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan at their October summit to intensify negotiations to reduce tensions along the line of contact,” added Kamian.
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.
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