Azerbaijan, Baku, May 26 / Trend S. Agayeva /
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister drew attention of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to the importance of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of international legal norms, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said this at the 16th Ministerial Conference of NAM in Bali (Indonesia). The Bali Declaration is expected to be adopted as a result of the conference. It will also reflect the importance of resolving the conflicts peacefully, the foreign ministry said.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister drew attention of the participants to the main problem of the country - the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the problem of nearly 1 million refugees and internally displaced people driven away from their native lands as a result of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.
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 region and the occupied territories.
The Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is held in Bali, Indonesia on May 23-27. Azerbaijan joined it.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings within the participation in the conference.
