Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 9
Trend:
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lasted too long and needs to be resolved.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks during the bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin held in Bocharov Stream residence, ITAR-TASS reported.
"We discussed the issue of regulation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has lasted far too long and needs to be resolved," Aliyev said.
There is a stable positive dynamic in the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan in recent years, according to the president.
"We appreciate it very much and consider Russia as one of our key partners in the international arena," Aliyev said.
He also noted that cooperation between the two countries covers a lot of areas.Good result shows cooperation not only in political but also in the economic sphere. In particular, trade turnover and mutual investments are growing.
"We are determined to increase the potential for cooperation, including in the spheres of regional security and stability in our region," Aliyev concluded.
In turn, President Putin said that the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are on the rise, the trust between the two countries is being strengthened.
The contacts are maintained at presidential level, at the level of governments, relations are being developed in economic, humanitarian and other new fields, according to the Russian president.
"This is an element of trust, which is strengthened constantly in bilateral contacts," he said.
Putin also proposed to discuss "long-standing problems" which relate to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the meeting.
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding 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.
