Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / The member of the working group of the Karabakh Forum established through the initiative of the Azerbaijani Bloc 'Union for Democracy' held a meeting at the US Embassy in Baku, said a member of the working group and Chairman of the Azadlyg Party, Ahmed Oruj. The meeting with the US Ambassador's advisor for political affairs, Jack Bennett, focused on the Karabakh problem. The participants of the Karabakh Forum highlighted their position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and the role of the US in resolving the conflict. In particular, the working group of the Karabakh Forum stressed that the US has not prevented the occupant position of Armenia even in words. According to the statement of the working group, the Azerbaijani society supports the opinion that peaceful talks cannot continue infinitely and Azerbaijan should restore its territorial integrity.
The US diplomat said that he understands the concerns of the participants of the Karabakh Forum. Bennett promised that he will present the situation to the attention of the US Department of State. A member of the working group informed the US diplomat of their proposals to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, with regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Forum appealed to the Russian, French, Turkish, and Iranian embassies to obtain meetings with them.
The Russian Embassy stated that Russia does not interfere in the activity of the OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, but Russia is prepared to meet to discuss the relations between the two countries. Responses have not yet been received from the embassies of France, Turkey and Iran. The representatives of the Karabakh Forum said that Turkey should take a more active position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. The Forum is trying to obtain official explanations from the Iranian Embassy on their support of the occupant policy of Armenia.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries appeared in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijani lands including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and US) are holding peaceful negotiations.