BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 5
Trend:
There is still optimism in relation to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said at a briefing, Trend reports.
"We stand for the political settlement of this protracted crisis through negotiations," the spokesperson said.
Zakharova stressed that Russia is doing everything possible to make its constructive contribution, not only as a state, but also as a mediator participating in the relevant work of the OSCE Minsk Group.
"Although there is no fundamental progress, I may confirm that there is still optimism," the spokesperson said.
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, 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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.