Baku, Azerbaijan, July 8
By Anakhanum Idayatova – Trend:
The invitation to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to attend the NATO Warsaw Summit 2016 shows the interest of the Alliance in promoting peace and stability in the Caucasus and partner relations between the sides, says Jorge Benitez, leading expert at Atlantic Council, Washington DC.
The NATO summit is underway in Warsaw. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev is taking part in the summit.
Speaking to Trend July 8, Benitez also said NATO could facilitate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s solution.
“A peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is in everyone's interest and it would strengthen the relations of both Azerbaijan and Armenia with NATO,” he 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, in 1992 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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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