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Lithuanian president: Caucasus conflicts must be resolved without military intervention

Politics Materials 4 May 2011 17:17 (UTC +04:00)
Georgia is an important country in the region in terms of stability, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said at the Tbilisi international airport before flying to Yerevan.
Lithuanian president: Caucasus conflicts must be resolved without military intervention

Georgia, Tbilisi, May 4 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /

Georgia is an important country in the region in terms of stability, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said at the Tbilisi international airport before flying to Yerevan.
She said Lithuania has always supported Georgia's territorial integrity and its integration into Euro-Atlantic organizations.

"I am here not only as the Lithuanian president, but also as a leader of the country - the OSCE chairman," she said. "The conflicts in the region are important for me. We want these conflicts to be resolved peacefully, without military intervention."

"Georgia is developing," she said. "Everyone sees the Georgian leadership's efforts. Regarding the occupied areas, we want to see a commitment to openness."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Military actions were launched in the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia in August 2008. Georgian troops entered Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia and later Russian troops occupied the city and drove the Georgian military back to Georgia. Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on Aug. 26 and established diplomatic relations with them on Sept. 9, 2008.

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